The Legacy of the Bastion: Alliance in Jeopardy
by Kaqmere the Cunning
Summary: The Great War has begun, but the hastily-formed alliance between Terrans and Vasudans is already in peril. Follow the Story of the GTD Bastion, the legendary destroyer that ended the war, from the eyes of a rookie pilot.
1. Welcome to the Bastion

Author's Note

_I initially wrote this planning to make it into a full-blown campaign spanning both Freespace games, but it was taking so long that I eventually gave up on it (plus, I now own a Mac, so I can't work with the FRED editing program anymore). This story, being intertwined with an existing story, has more nostalgia and meaning to it if you know the story from which it came. I used as many actual dates as exist, and with great accuracy (I only discovered the Freespace Wiki after working pretty hard to get dates) although dates of events following the game I mostly made up myself. I used the Freespace Reference Bible quite a bit, and it's pretty useful if you want to better understand the Freespace universe. You can download the Freespace Reference Bible from Volition-Inc, but for some reason, you can't get to the download from the home page, so I had to google it._

_Disclaimer: Volition-inc. owns Descent: Freespace, Admiral Shima, the GTD Bastion and several other things. I own Vincent Schaard and Lt. Risnan as well as most of the plot, except where it intertwines with or makes reference to the plot of the game._

_Fun Fact: Vessels and vessel classes are begun with GT for Galactic Terran, PV for Parliamentary Vasudan, and S for Shivan vessels (GTF = Terran Fighter, PVD = Vasudan Destroyer, SC = Shivan Cruiser, etc.). Also, it is important to know the classes to differentiate them from ship names: GTD Orion is a class of Terran destroyer, but GTD Galatea is an Orion known as the Galatea._

Chapter One: 1/30/2335 Welcome to the Bastion

"Welcome to today's command briefing, I am your commanding officer, Admiral Shima. Many of you already know this, but I say it for the sake of welcoming our newest pilots to the GTD Bastion. Many of you are fresh out of flight training, and some are rookies from other squadrons. In light of our vast amount of new recruits, you have all been assigned to a newly formed squadron: the 66th Black Knights. The 66th is being led by one of our veterans, Lieutenant James Risnan; you are to report to him for your mission briefings.

"For the benefit of new recruits, I will go on to explain our current situation, as news coverage of the war is typically limited and biased. As of five days ago, January twenty-fifth, 2335, the fourteen-year Terran-Vasudan War is over. The Vasudans are now our allies, and the Parliamentary Vasudan Navy, PVN, will be cooperating with us on many occasions. As a result, I expect you to treat them with the utmost respect; remaining hostilities aside, we are now in a much greater conflict, and we can only hope to survive by working together.

"This brings me to my next topic: The Shivans. The Galactic Terran Alliance affirmed the existence of a new species of intelligent life on the sixteenth, and until we can establish further contact with them, we have designated this new species Shivan. I am fully aware that many of you are under the impression that Command has been concealing information on the Shivans, and you would be right. However, what little information has been withheld is still largely unconfirmed, and of minimal use at best. Nevertheless, I will relate the facts as I know them for the benefit of all present.

"First, all attempts at contact with the Shivans have failed; we can only assume that either their method of communication vastly differs from our own, or that their transmission devices operate on an as of yet undiscovered phenomenon. Second, we don't know anything about Shivan culture or even what a Shivan looks like, and I expect that we never will unless we capture a Shivan alive; in fact, I believe Command is working on a plan to capture a Shivan cruiser with the crew of the GTD Galatea as we speak. Third, the Shivans appear to be openly hostile, and hell-bent on total xenocide; even if we do manage to contact them, it seems unlikely that they would be open to negotiation. Finally, and most importantly, we do not know the full extent of the Shivan forces; as of now we are only aware of two classes of fighter, one bomber class, one class of destroyer, and several freighters and transports. There could be a handful of Shivan warships still out there or as many as ten fleets, either way, we must fight the Shivans with caution and tactical prowess.

"Now, on to new business. As you well know, the radical Vasudan splinter group, the Hammer of Light, has shown itself to be much more dangerous than it appeared at first glance. As of now, they have two Typhon-class destroyers, several Aten cruisers, and more than twenty squadrons of fighters and bombers. The Bastion is one of the destroyers assigned the task of eliminating the HOL, Hammer of Light, as its primary objective.

"For those of you who don't know already, negotiations with the HOL have been marginally less successful than those with the Shivans. The HOL is heavily based on Vasudan religion and HOL leaders typically quote a well-known prophecy about the coming of an all-powerful race of destroyers. Because of this, they intend to aid the Shivans in their destruction, and are now enemies to both the GTA and Parliamentary Vasudan Empire, PVE. Our next series of missions will be coordinated strikes against HOL targets of opportunity.

"Briefings will commence at 0620 tomorrow. Dismissed."

My name is Vincent Schaard, and I'm one of the new pilots on the Bastion. I'm also one of the guys just out of flight school, and although I haven't seen any action yet, I have had extensive training and am well versed in the history of the GTA. I'm proud to be stationed under Admiral Shima, a legend in her own right. She mastered the Angel Scout Fighter in only two days, a feat that had escaped many veterans, since the Angel fighter was much too sensitive for most pilots.

Most of the other rookies had never even heard of Shima, and only signed up because of the Shivans; they want to impress the boys back home by killing the "unkillable" and then mounting a Shivan head on the wall. I know better than that. If we still couldn't kill the Shivans, those guys would be cowering in their parents' houses, afraid to step outside. Actually, I heard that even before we could track them, before the Avenger cannon was completed, someone from the GTD Galatea was able to take out an SF Scorpion with nothing more than the ML-16! That pilot must have shot up that Scorpion one hundred times to break through its shield.

That's what shocked everyone the most, I guess. The Shivans came out of nowhere, decimated Terran and Vasudan outposts, but to top it all off, they couldn't even be destroyed. Like phantoms, they went unnoticed by our sensors and simply passed through all defenses, unharmed.

It wasn't surprising to find their hulls so weak. They rely so much on their shields, those Shivan ships are nothing more than glass. A well-placed MX-50 could probably take out an unshielded Basilisk fighter in one hit; that is, it can in the simulators. The trouble with those simulators is that they never do justice to the actual experience.

I know a few pilots that remain planet-bound because they think it's harder to fly in outer space. They're right to a certain extent, but the three things atmospheric flight has that space flight doesn't are the three things that make it harder. The first is the ground; it is very important to avoid running into the ground while flying close to a planet's surface. In outer space there is no ground to run into, and if you're flying close enough to a planet that the ground becomes a problem, then you are no longer flying in space.

The second is the atmosphere itself; in an atmosphere, the sounds of battle reverberate all around and obscure the sounds of your vessel's status system. In outer space, your sense of sight is most important and is heightened by the low priority of sound, although the ship will typically alert you audibly if, for example, a missile is homing in on your vessel. Not only that, but air friction does play a part in atmospheric flying, even in this era. It used to be the one thing that made flight possible, but now it hinders a vessel's maneuverability and changes its handling.

The third and most important difference is gravity. Near a planet's surface, it is imperative to keep your vessel upright for as long as possible; if you turn upside down for even a second, the stabilizers launch you toward the ground at twice the rate of falling. In outer space, you will often find yourself at odd angles to everyone else in your formation, and sometimes even attacking an enemy upside down. Although this takes some getting used to, it allows for more maneuvers than can be performed in an atmosphere, and it is also easier to exploit an opponent's blind spots.

So, now here I am: on board the Bastion, cruising through the vastness of the cosmos. I decide to check out my sleeping quarters and meet my fellow squad mates. My first impression of the Bastion is its similarity to a naval carrier. As a child, I visited one of the ancient aircraft carriers the United States Navy once used before the GTA was formed. It was much more cramped than the destroyer I now found myself on, but the general look and feel of things was nearly the same.

I reach my assigned quarters and, to my surprise, find some familiar faces.

"Vince! Welcome to the 66th!"

"Ron Hughes? I thought you were court-marshaled for running a Valkyrie through the Anatov Shipyards facility in Deneb."

"I was _subpoenaed _for running a Valkyrie through the Anatov Shipyards facility in Deneb. They demoted me to ensign and transferred me here."

"I never thought I'd see you here. And Al Benson! I wondered why you graduated so quickly."

"So, Vince," Ron says, "this whole Shivan thing is pretty out there, huh."

"Yeah, almost as weird as all of us put in this squadron. But Ross 128 was a fortress; I still can't believe what happened to it. I'd just finished training when I first heard about it, how about you?"

"I was watching Tesseract Bowling and The Price is Right; there was a newsflash about the attack on the GTSC Plato; it was wild. I went out to lunch and it was all anyone was talking about."

"I know what you mean," says Al, "I was already at lunch, and all the TV's went over to news coverage of the Plato attack."

"Well," I say, "now, we have the chance to return the favor."

I'm introduced to the rest of the squadron, some of them old friends. We soon go down to the cafeteria to complain about the food, but the one thing on all of our minds is how much we can't wait to gun down those Shivan bastards.

_Note: The "Price is Right" thing was a future joke; I tried to think of a show that would still be going on in 326 years._


	2. Off to Barnard's Star

Author's Note

_Just a note on pronunciations; Galatea (__ga__-luh-tay), Shima (__shee__-muh), Vasudan (vuh-__soo__-den), Schaard (__shard__), Risnan (__riz__-nen). I've heard Galatea pronounced "__ga__-luh-tay-uh" as well, but I prefer the other pronunciation. Also, I didn't mean to make any connection with Sanford & Sons when I gave the hothead pilot the name "Sanford"; it just sounded like a good name at the time. So, if you make that connection, then just know that it was unintentional.  
_

_Disclaimer: Volition-inc. owns Descent: Freespace, Admiral Shima, the SC Taranis and several other things. I own Vincent Schaard and Lt. Risnan as well as most of the plot, except where it intertwines with or makes reference to the plot of the game._

_Fun Fact: The laser gun was invented as a successor to the Bee Bee gun; it fires non-lethal laser beams that cause a discoloration in most objects, making them useful for target practice, especially since you cannot see the projectile, which is typical of modern-day firearms. Lethal rifles utilize plasma, which is much more economical and can be formed into bullets._

Chapter Two: 2/4/2335 Off to Barnard's Star

Today we receive our first real assignment; so far we've only been sent on uneventful patrol and escort missions, but now we're sure to get some combat experience under our belts.

"In light of recent victories against the Shivans as well as the capture of the SC Taranis, Command has decided that we should temporarily shift our attention to the Hammer of Light. HOL ships have been gathering in Barnard's Star, and we hope to send our newest squadron, the 66th, to meet them head-on.

"The GTD Bastion is needed elsewhere, however, so you will therefore be joining the GTD Intrepid for the duration of the mission. The Intrepid will provide heavy weapons cover as well as one wing of Athena bombers and one wing of Valkyries. Lt. Risnan will brief you on the specifics of your mission."

Arrangements had already been made for us to change ships, and the Bastion is currently waiting in Delta Serpentis outside the Beta Aquilae node. I hear a static crackle as I walk, in full flight suit, to the hangar: "GTD Intrepid ETA: twelve minutes."

I only have eleven minutes to get down to the hangar and fly out to meet the Intrepid; we're required to be out and ready to dock before the destroyer arrives. Of course, we were glad to hear that we'd be able to take our ships with us. A pilot gets attached to his vessel, especially after working out the seat adjustments. Some of the guys, including Ron, had gone so far as to paint numbers on the sides, and had said they would begin marking off kills once we got to see some action.

We all fly GTF Apollos, the best fighter in the GTA. Of course, it could be better with a larger payload or better shielding, but the only other active fighter is the Valkyrie, and it may have speed over the Apollo, but its hull and shields are weaker, and it has only one missile bank. Nevertheless, the Apollo has been around since the start of the Terran-Vasudan war, and it has become a symbol of the GTA, typically featuring prominently on recruitment posters and television spots.

The Apollo is a good ship, but now that we've allied with the Vasudans, we've begun to see what their ships can really do. They have a few more ship classes than we do, but many act like counterparts to ours. The most numerous are the Anubis fighters, which we saw all the time during the last fourteen years, but they've been showing up less since the Shivans arrived. Now the Vasudans seem to prefer the Seth fighter, and who can blame them? It's like a tougher Apollo, comparable in speed, with the same load-out and much stronger shields.

The Shivan ships, on the other hand, can make bizarre maneuvers, from what I've seen and heard, and are mostly black with some red sections and green vein-like parts that make them look almost alive. That said, their ships must have a visual advantage, being more difficult to see against the black void of space, not to mention the fear tactic.

But back to the Vasudans. We've been seeing more of them, recently. So far, we've only worked with them on a few missions, but I hear Command has begun recruiting Vasudans to Terran squadrons, and that the Galatea already has two Vasudan squadrons on duty. There are some on board here who still don't like the Vasudans, mostly those who've lost a friend to a Vasudan attack. Fortunately for me, there isn't anyone like that in the 66th; I would argue with them extensively.

From brief radio chatter alone, I have the feeling that it would be very interesting to talk with a Vasudan. I actually know very little about their culture, but I do know that their language has very strict rules dependant on rank and social class, and that they seem to have taken an interest in ancient Egyptian culture. Aside from that, I, like most Terrans, find Vasudan culture very confusing and distant.

I hope there aren't too many Terrans who use this as an excuse to hate the Vasudans; you would think that after millennia of racial prejudice on Earth, and the disastrous results of it, that we would have the sense to treat other forms of intelligent life with respect and understanding. I suppose its human nature to fear the unknown, though. That's the whole reason why we have science and religion, and hating someone is easier than trying to understand them.

Now, I've reached the hangar, and I see a few of my squad mates have already arrived. Ron is among them, and they all look impatient.

"GTA Intrepid ETA: five minutes."

"I think they use the same automated voice for that intercom that they use for the Vasudan translators," Ron says, "Hey, Vince."

"Hi, Ron," I say, "So, we finally get a real mission."

"Yeah, it's about time," says Sanford, one of the other squad mates.

Sanford is a bit of a hothead, and he's been itching to flip the weapons master switch on his control panel. I bet he's a pretty good shot too; he seems like one of those kids who grew up with a laser pistol.

"Damn right," I hear a fourth voice from behind me, and instantly recognize it as that of Lt. James Risnan. We all turn towards him quickly and salute, but he says, "At ease. We've got about four minutes to get out there and wait for the Intrepid, so let's get a move on."

Risnan was a pretty laid back guy, I wouldn't be surprised if he was only a lieutenant because he had no motivation to move up the ranks. After only a few missions, we had heard a few tips and tactics from him that suggested, to me at least, that he could easily take the rank of Commodore.

We walk quickly to our Apollos and strap in. Mine is still fairly clean, a sign of how little I've used it, but Ron's has a few scars on it, in addition to his self-proclaimed number "5", from foolish maneuvers he tends to do when he gets bored; he's a good pilot, but too impatient. Risnan's fighter is scarred and darkened, an old war veteran. I wondered if he'd been demoted like Ron, and if so, why.

"GTD Intrepid ETA: two minutes."

Risnan's voice comes in over the radio, "Alright, boys-"

Another voice cuts in, "What was that, lieutenant?" the one female member of our squad was a mild firebrand: Tate. I know it sounds far too typical of a woman pilot, like something out of a bad TV show, but some things have a true basis.

"-boys and girls," Risnan continues, "I know you're feeling adventurous, but don't get too excited; we're flying from this hanger to an identical one on the Intrepid. I want this to go as smoothly and calmly as possible. You hear me, Hughes?"

"Smooth, yeah," says Ron.

Risnan begins the countdown, "Lift off in three… two… one!"

We take off in unison, and pass safely through the hangar's barrier. The first things to meets my eyes are twenty subspace warp portals off to my right, and the flood of red-speckled, black ships that pour out of them.


	3. The Beast Prowling Through the Night

Author's Note

_I hope for this to be the last I put into the story, since it interrupts the flow. Anyway, for the sake of everyone unfamiliar with the games, most primary weapons slots fire two shots each. The Apollo has two primary slots, so it can fire up to four shots at a time, but linking up both primary slots cuts the re-fire rate in half, so there are tactics to using them._

_Disclaimer: Volition-inc. owns Descent: Freespace, Admiral Shima, and several other things. I own Vincent Schaard, Lt. Risnan, and the rest of the 66__th__ Black Knights (although the squadron name belongs to Volition), as well as most of the plot, except where it intertwines with or makes reference to the plot of the game._

_Fun Fact: All the star systems named in this story are straight from the Freespace jump node map, our own sun designated "Sol", and are (mostly) all names of actual stars; Alpha Centauri (closest star to Sol, our sun), Sirius (brightest star in the night sky), Betelgeuse, and even Polaris (the north star). Barnard's Star, from the previous chapter, was named after the scientist who discovered it, an American named E. E. Barnard, and is the fourth closest star to Sol after the three stars of the Centaurus constellation._

Chapter Three: 2/4/2335 The Beast Prowling Through the Night

"Tate, Benson, and D, take the Shiatans; Sanford, George, and Tinman, cover them; Fred and Lawrence, cover the Bastion; Schaard and Hughes, follow my lead!"

We all quickly take action, with a few battle cries from Tate and Sanford. Fred is clearly nervous; his specialty is strategy and planning, so with this unexpected ambush, it's only right that he should retreat to cover the Bastion. Our ships' two primary ports were each loaded with Avenger cannons, but nothing in our secondaries, since combat was not anticipated; all the same, the only available secondaries were designed for unshielded ships during the 14-year war, and wouldn't do us much good anyway. The first thing I notice is that there are twenty ships in all, four in each wing, two wings of Shiatan bombers and four wings of SF Scorpions.

"Follow me, boys, and see how we carry out exterminations," Risnan is caught up in the battle, but so am I. Ron is excited and is already upside down in relation to both Risnan and me. All of our weapons masters were switched on as of three seconds ago, but I'm no less surprised when I see the yellow flare of Risnan's guns as he takes down the first of the Scorpions.

"Those Scorpions are fast; switch your primaries to fire both sets of Avengers, and each hit counts double," another one of Risnan's tricks; he had already said something similar on an earlier mission, but it was times like this that you forget such things easily.

"Gotcha, lieutenant!" Ron was already pulling away to take on the wing of Scorpions headed for Fred and Lawrence.

"Don't follow me like a dog on a leash, Schaard," says Risnan, "Go find your own wing to take out!"

"Yes, sir!" I clumsily pull away and regain my momentarily scattered wits. I hear the missile lock warning, but I deftly make a hundred-degree turn and release a countermeasure, to the sound of a hit avoided. The silence outside my cockpit is eerily shattered by the grunts of satisfaction and exclamations of the rest of the squadron. I hear Tate's voice, "That's what you get for sneakin' up on me!"

Then Sanford, "Yeah-hah! Show 'em no mercy!"

Meanwhile, I've taken out the Scorpion that fired on me earlier; now my attention is focused on another particularly slippery Scorpion, and I've gotten most of its rear shields down. My shots connect and, with some satisfaction, I see some electrical arcs as the Scorpion loses control and explodes in a shower of sparks.

Now, I hear Fred, "A-ah! He's right behind me! I can't shake him!"

"Damn it, Fred!" Risnan's voice crackles in, "Hughes! Aren't you over there?"

Ron responds, "I'm having a two-on-one with the rest of that wing, lieutenant; I don't know where that Manticore came from."

"Manticore?" Risnan says, "He's got a Gods damn _**Manticore**_ on his ass?!!"

New Shivan vessels are being discovered every few days, and the SF Manticore is a recent addition. A Valkyrie can typically reach 100 m/s if you re-route power from shields and guns to the engines, but pilots have reported Manticores regularly flying in excess of 120 m/s without burners. An Apollo can't get up to 90 m/s without burners, and, knowing the Shivans, the Manticore is much more maneuverable.

A Scorpion is a good match for the Apollo, but an Apollo is the gazelle to the Manticore's cheetah.

I quickly check everyone that I'm not already keeping track of, and I realize that the entire squadron is occupied but me. I turn toward the Bastion, to find Fred, and I see him as he comes out from behind the bottom edge of the destroyer. The Manticore looks to be only twenty meters behind him, so I boost my engine power to full and engage my burners.

I hear Risnan yell something over the radio, but I'm not listening, my thoughts entirely concentrated on the fighter chasing Fred. I'm close enough to see the two prongs, characteristic of the Manticore, and I can tell it hasn't spotted me yet. I'm close enough to get in a shot, so I reset my engine power and fire both Avengers.

All four bolts hit and the shields are down to 17%. They may be fast, but they're not as tough as us. I fire again before the Manticore has time to evade, and three bolts hit, shattering the shield and bringing the hull down by a third. It's enough to make it break off of Fred, but I follow it to finish the job.

It takes a few tight turns and well-place shots, but I take it out, and begin take notice of Risnan shouting in my ear.

"Schaard, you still have two of them on your tail! _Move_, damn it!"

As I pull up and to the right, I look up to see two more Manticores behind me. One takes a hit from some of the Bastion's turret fire, a rare occurrence, and the other is quickly chased down by Ron. I watch the weakened fighter burn up as Risnan blasts it.

"Are you going deaf, Schaard? I told you to back off and let Hughes and Lawrence take him! Those Manticores were setting you up, waiting to ambush you!"

"Sorry, sir, I won't let it happen again."

"Bah, don't say it like that. Just keep fighting and don't narrow your focus."

With that, we're both off to clean up the few, retreating Shivan ships. The GTD Intrepid is late; arriving shortly after the last Shiatan bites the dust. After we touch down in the hangar, the first thing Sanford does is go for his cargo compartment. The Apollo's compartment is small, but more than enough for a pilot's personal effects. Tate does the same, and they're soon painting their kills below the left side of their cockpits.

"Four. Hah! I'm an ace!" Sanford shouts with pride.

"Ace, huh," says Tate, "Then you're ace number two, cause I got six!"

"No way! I only saw you hit two! Right, guys?"

"No, it was six," says D.

"I counted six."

"Six is right."

Sanford gets into a shouting competition with Tate over the number, while I go to see how Fred is holding up. I find that he has pulled out his belongings as well, and is scribbling furiously on a pad of paper; there are electronic sketchpads now, which are more useful in space where electric generators are more plentiful than pencils, but paper is still cheaper.

"How are you holding up, Fred?"

"Oh? Hi, Vince. I'm fine; thanks for the save back there. I'm just writing out some ideas I had for emergency scenarios. Next time we're ambushed, I'll be ready."

I agree with him, and then turn to find Ron. He's borrowed Tate's paints and is painting his own kills onto his Apollo.

"Hey, Ron."

"Hey, Vince. That was a pretty reckless stunt you pulled, and I'm proud. I didn't think you had it in you."

"Don't, you're making me blush," I reply tonelessly, "Anyway, Fred sounded really panicked; he could have run straight into the Bastion or something. Nevertheless, I should have been listening to the radio; I wouldn't have gotten myself in the sights of those other two Manticores."

"Yeah, well, I heard Risnan say something about how you can only learn by making mistakes, as long as you're still alive."

Risnan manages to gather all of us up, Sanford looking steamed and Tate smug, and leads us to our temporary quarters aboard the Intrepid. It's nearly the same as on the Bastion, so we all get settled in easily. As I lie in my bunk, ready to sleep, I'm still shaken by the suddenness of the attack, and the thrill of combat.


	4. Meet the Hammer of Light

_Disclaimer: Volition-inc. owns Descent: Freespace, Admiral Shima, the HOL and several other things. I own Vincent Schaard and Lt. Risnan as well as most of the plot, except where it intertwines with or makes reference to the plot of the game._

_Fun Fact: As a successor to the system of relative location based on a clock face currently used by the air force (ten o'clock high, six o'clock low, etcetera), I have devised a system using the compass rose and directions fore and aft; North is up, South down, West left, East right, Fore ahead, Aft behind. Using combinations of two and three of these in addition to using them on their own, there are ninety-eight different possible directions, making this system more useful for long-distance relations ("we've detected a Shivan freighter twenty clicks aft-south-south-west of the Bastion")._

Chapter Four: 2/12/2335 Meet the Hammer of Light

It's taken over a week, but we had to stop for refueling as well as for repairs to the Apollos. Today, the Intrepid will make the jump from Luyten 726-8 A to Barnard's Star, and our mission can begin. Lt. Risnan briefed us yesterday:

"Here's the plan, boys and girls; at 0700 tomorrow, the GTD Intrepid will arrive in Barnard's Star. The HOL ships located there are in enough force to warrant the use of the Athena bomber as well as cover fire from the Intrepid.

"Our targets are two Aten cruisers and their escorts, which are primarily Seths. We also expect to find a freighter, Bast-class, fully loaded with HOL supplies. Alpha wing will consist of Hughes, Schaard, and myself, Beta will contain Tate, Tinman, Sanford, and D, and Gamma wing will consist of the rest: Fred, Lawrence, Benson, and George. The Intrepid's Athenas will make up Delta wing, and their Valkyries will be in Epsilon wing as reinforcements.

"Alpha wing will target the cruisers' escorts. Beta will cover Delta as it attacks the cruisers. Gamma wing will disarm the cruisers, and, once they're done, disable the freighter for capture. Don't hesitate to call in Epsilon, but remember that we have no other reinforcements, and the Intrepid will provide some heavy cover-fire for us."

The Athena is a recent addition to the GTA, and it's classified as a light bomber. It can't really carry anything unique except for the new Stiletto bomb. The Stiletto is designed to disable ship subsystems and works best on large ships, like cruisers. The Athena is a bit stronger than the Apollo, and it has a better load-out, although we could definitely use a heavy bomber in our arsenal.

I hear the intercom static as it turns on while I head for the hangar.

"Five minutes to the subspace node."

I've heard some pilots around here asking why most ships don't just jump across a system into a node and then through that into the next system to make long journeys shorter. The problem with that is basically rooted in the workings of subspace; a ship can make two types of subspace jumps: intrasystem and intersystem. Intrasystem jumps are shorter and can be performed by any vessel; these jumps can be made from virtually any point in a system to virtually any other point and rarely take more than a few seconds. Intersystem jumps require much more energy, can take as much as twelve minutes, and can only be carried out in certain locations, known as Jump Nodes, where subspace and realspace overlap in just the right way; because of the high energy requirement, bombers and fighters cannot make intersystem jumps, though not for lack of trying.

Subspace is actually another dimension that parallels our own, but is much smaller, spatially, allowing for quick travel between otherwise distant locations. Although even small fighters can make intrasystem jumps, the energy requirement is still fairly large, and it typically consumes more fuel than it would take to cover the distance in realspace. Because of this, intrasystem jumps are often only used at the end of a mission or during a retreat. In order to be economical, any large ship making long-distance voyage will have to stop for refueling at least once, and will only make necessary jumps between systems.

There is also trouble to be had by terminating an intrasystem jump in a jump node. There are only two known instances of this occurrence and neither ended well; the first was during early experiments with subspace, and the ship in question was a GTC Fenris, cruiser class. In a bizarre distortion of realspace and subspace, the ship was torn apart the instant it arrived in the jump node. The damage assessment determined that only two-thirds of the cruiser's mass could be found, the remaining third assumed to be lost in subspace. The other incident was the result of a hasty retreat made by a Vasudan Typhon-class destroyer, the Cairo, during the 14-year T-V war.

I could go on, but I would probably get something wrong, and anyway, McPherson's Multipaedia is much more comprehensive and accurate, and you can check it out of most libraries.

I continue walking until I reach the hangar, only this time, I'm the first one to arrive; I left the rest of the squadron when they were still getting their suits on. I look at our Apollos, all repaired from our ambush. I had made three kills, which made me an ace as well as Tate and Sanford. Ron also had three, which had surprised me, since I thought he would have shot down four or five. A few days ago, I had gone back to my ship and painted on my kills and the number 11, which was the only number left.

Tate had earned 1 with six kills and Sanford took 2, but the rest weren't in any particular order. I already knew Ron had 5, Risnan had a worn-out 3 on his ship, Al was 4, George 9, Fred 10, Tinman 8, Lawrence 6, and D took 7. D got lucky number seven because he was the first one after Hughes to borrow Tate's paint kit. Coincidentally, it turns out that D actually has a long Icelandic name that he refuses to reveal, and he says we would pronounce wrong anyway.

Tinman is a nickname as well; his actual name is Steve Naples. His initials make Sn, and since we pilots have a firm footing in chemistry, Tinman was naturally the first thing to come to our minds.

I turn around to see Risnan approaching. He yawns as he scratches his head, woken from a deep sleep by the ship's intercom.

"'Morning, Schaard," he says.

"'Morning, sir."

"Damn early for an attack run."

Keeping time can be very awkward in space, but we'd been put on Day Shift, meaning that we slept around the same time we would have back on good old Terra. There are four different shifts that are kept balanced for optimized efficiency, and are based around the same system of minutes and hours used on Earth. The Day Shift is 0700 to 2100, the Afternoon Shift is 1300 to 0300, the Night Shift is 1900 to 0900, and the Morning Shift is 0100 to 1500. No one is expected to be on duty for that long, but you're typically awake for the full duration of your shift, and can only be called into action once per shift. Of course, the whole ship can be called to life in an emergency regardless of assigned shift.

Anyway, most of the rest of the 66th has arrived, Al being the one straggler. They all look about as sleepy as Risnan did when he first came in, but when I look over at him, he's still pretty relaxed, but wide awake.

I turn back to see Al skipping and hopping, while trying to tighten the last few straps of his flight suit, "Sorry I'm late, sir," he stops and salutes.

"At _ease_, Benson. How many times do I have to tell you to only salute to real superiors? I'm just a lieutenant; even 'sir' is going a little far."

"Attention! Prepare for intersystem jump."

Intersystem jumps are pretty smooth as long as you don't move around. Standard procedure is to be seated during a jump, or, if no seat is available, to get down into a crouch and remain still. Very bizarre spatial things have been known to happen by walking about during a subspace jump, although this is never a problem in a fighter or bomber where there isn't enough space to move around.

We look out the hangar to see the subspace portal grow, and then engulf the ship. The eerie, inhuman ambiance of subspace meets our ears, and the calming blue torrents meet our eyes, a bright blue beam of light shining from the opposite end of the tunnel.

Hardly any time passes before we emerge into Barnard's Star. The star of Barnard's Star is a red dwarf, much like the binary stars of Luyten 726-8, the system we had just left behind. The red star brings a harsh glow to the HOL ships ahead. They appear, at first, to be closer than I expected, but Risnan gets up and affirms the original data.

"Yep, right where they should be. Alright, get in your ships and wait for my countdown."

We all climb into our separate cockpits, and I see six Athenas nearby, their pilots already strapped in and waiting. I switch on the power and check my systems; engines good, shields at full, computer systems operating smoothly, primaries: Avenger and Flail, and secondaries: two sets of forty MX-50s. The Flail is a new gun that fires faster than even the ML-16, and has the added affect of firing high-mass shots, which can send a Scorpion twirling. There's also a better missile than the MX-50, the Interceptor, but it was implemented when the Intrepid was in Laramis, which is too far from most systems to have received any shipments so soon.

"Everyone, check in," I hear Risnan's voice over the radio.

"Tate, 1."

"Sanford, 2."

"Benson, 4."

"Hughes, 5."

"Lawrence, 6."

"D, 7."

"Tinman, 8."

"George, 9."

"Fred, 10."

"Schaard, 11."

"Alright, how about Delta wing?"

"All six accounted for, lt. Risnan."

"Great. On my mark; three, two, one, mark!"

Once again, we all lift off, but this time we each exit by wing, Alpha first, followed by Gamma, Beta, and Delta. Emerging from the hangar, the harsh, red glow engulfs our ships and my display. I adjust the HUD color to blue, to better differentiate. I notice the star off to my right; I know it's about the same size as Sol, but it doesn't look it.

"Remember, Alpha and Gamma in front. Beta, stay with Delta," Risnan again. His remark is followed by several murmurs of affirmation from each wing.

The Intrepid is much slower than our ships, so I know it won't play its part for a while yet. The Athena is slower than the Apollo, so Delta and Beta wings should be far enough behind by the time we reach the cruisers for Gamma to disarm the targets. By now, they've noticed our presence, and we meet the first wing of Seths head on.

Risnan cuts in, "Gamma, ignore Virgo wing and keep going. Hughes, Schaard; you know what to do."

"Yes, sir! Yeehah!" once again, Ron is at a weird angle to the rest of us, and he fires a pair of MX-50s at the first Seth, drawing it away from its wing. I take Virgo 2, and Risnan handles the third.

I instantly feel more relaxed chasing the Seth; after wrangling with the bizarre movements of the Scorpion and the outrageous speed of the Manticore, a Seth feels like a reprieve. I toss him about with my Flail, and then fire off a few MX-50s, nearly all of them scoring a direct hit. I'm able to finish him off with my Avenger, and then turn around to cover Gamma.

"Nice shootin', partner!" Ron pulls up above me, upside down so that we can look up and see each other. The next wing has four Horus fighters, the Vasudan's Valkyrie, so we each manage to take one out quickly, and then split up to follow the remaining two. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch the Bast freighter making a jump, and make a note of it for later.

"This is Gamma wing, the cruisers' turrets are down. We're moving to cover Delta."

At this point, Delta wing has arrived, and they begin pelting the Atens' engines with Stilettos. The lights of the engines die, and the Athenas switch over to Fury missiles to finish them off. A few fighters escape, presumably to join the freighter, but the rest of the mission goes off smoothly and the cruisers are destroyed.

After we've returned to the hangar, Risnan calls us together for debriefing, "So, everyone alright?"

There are several "yeah"s from the squad, "I took one or two hits," from D.

I speak up, "Lieutenant, the freighter escaped along with a few fighters."

"Good eye, Schaard," says Risnan, "With the Intrepid stationed so close to the Luyten 726-8 A node, we can only assume they're headed for Dubhe."

There are some murmurs from the rest of the 66th; Alpha Ursae Majoris, aka Dubhe, is a tertiary star system, consisting of three stars, one of which is an orange giant. One of the jump nodes out of Dubhe remains unexplored and the other two are unstable, making it a dangerous system to visit. As if that weren't enough, each jump node in Dubhe is close to its three stars, making anything more than a journey in a pre-determined, straight line tough on the eyes.

We realize that we have a harder job ahead of us, and one that could be our last, but Risnan says something unexpected, "We're going to let them go; it's too risky to go to Dubhe for just one freighter and a few fighters. We'll be shipping out soon, so I suggest you find someplace more comfortable than the floor for the return jump."


	5. Aftermath of Doomsday

_Disclaimer: Volition-inc. owns Descent: Freespace, Admiral Shima, Vasuda Prime, the SD Lucifer and several other things. I own Vincent Schaard, Lt. Risnan, and Lorkhena as well as most of the plot, except where it intertwines with or makes reference to the plot of the game._

_Fun Fact: The Descent: Freespace mission concerning the events of this briefing is called "Doomsday."_

Chapter Five: 3/1/2335 Aftermath of Doomsday

Everyone is as anxious as I am; we only just retreated from the defense of Vasuda, and most of us had to be woken up for this command briefing. We can only assume we succeeded in protecting the system, but none of us can be sure.

"Welcome, pilots. As you know, the Bastion was withdrawn from the Vasuda system in the face of the Shivan superdestroyer, the SD Lucifer. This brings me to the first topic at hand. Last night at about 1900 hours, the Lucifer made the jump to the Vasuda system and proceeded to bypass all our forces stationed there. We have lost all contact with our forces set to defend against the Lucifer's attack, and very few Vasudan ships were able to successfully evacuate the system. What we do know is that the Lucifer bombarded the surface of the Vasudan homeworld, Vasuda Prime, thoroughly; all Vasudan life and cities on the planet were destroyed, and it is now uninhabitable. Plans are already in the works to escort the surviving Vasudan refugees to safe systems.

"The tragedy is not limited to the Vasudans, however. Shortly before the Lucifer arrived in Vasuda, it engaged and destroyed the GTD Galatea."

At this, the rumble of despair, outrage, and pure confusion that had already swept the ranks of pilots at the destruction of Vasuda Prime, grows in intensity. All I can think of is how we stand hopelessly powerless against the Lucifer. The SD Lucifer first appeared after the capture of the SC Taranis; it arrived in the Ribos system and destroyed Tombaugh station, where the Taranis was being taken. The Lucifer is in every way an appropriate name for this superdestroyer. It has two mysterious energy cannons that can take out an Arcadia installation in three hits, it has a larger fighter payload than any Terran or Vasudan destroyer, but the worst of it is that it sports a shield that is completely invulnerable in the face of even the most powerful weapons in the combined Terran and Vasudan arsenals.

All we can do is run from it.

"The Galatea was on its way to join the defending forces of Vasuda, but was disabled by Shivan bombers in Deneb. Her pilots fought well to defend the Galatea but to no avail; The Lucifer was too powerful. The surviving crew and pilots of the Galatea will be joining us here on the Bastion. We expect the first escape pods and fighters to arrive within the hour. Dismissed."

Although the room has settled a little, there is still a sense of uncertainty and hopelessness. I join the rest of the 66th as we head for the cafeteria. No one can seem to look anyone else in the eye or say anything, and we go as far as getting something to eat and finding a table before lt. Risnan murmurs something under his breath.

Next is Tate, "You say something, sir?"

"We're fighting a losing war," Risnan raises his voice, "Hell, we're _losing_ a losing war!"

Ron speaks up, "It isn't that bad, lieutenant."

"All we've got are pebbles, and that thing is a damn cannon ball. I heard that crazy bastard, Po, was ready to ram the Lucifer once it came his way… but it didn't, did it?"

Admiral Po is the commanding officer of the GTD Intrepid; the Intrepid and the Minnow were stationed outside the Vasuda node in Antares, where it was expected the Lucifer would attack from. The Lucifer arrived in Deneb instead, taking out the Galatea and forcing us on the Bastion to retreat. The night shift squadrons were on duty at the time, so none of us expected to see any action, or even hear about it for a few more hours.

No one can talk for a while, but then Tinman says, "You know, if you cool down a cannon ball enough, it becomes so brittle you can shatter it with a sewing needle."

"Yeah?" says Ron, "Great, maybe we can borrow the Vasudan's giant freezer; it's five hundred million square meters, right?"

"Where do you get off talking like that?" D says, "Tinman was trying to lift the mood!"

"Well, he's a moron! We're all going to run into the Lucifer sooner or later, so we're all as good as dead!"

The rest of the squadron stands up to join in the ever-louder shouting match, except for Risnan and me. I see him supporting his forehead with his hands in the shape of a bridge, defeated. My frustration builds, so I stand and slam both hands down on the table. Every tray, plate, and cup jumps, some spilling over, and I break the following silence: "Get a grip, damn it! All of you!"

Everyone sits down slowly and sheepishly.

"This isn't the first time this has happened, right? What did we do when the Shivans destroyed the Plato? We didn't despair. We weren't as good as dead. We couldn't kill them then, but we made due; we completed the Avenger cannon and made our own shields. Everything has a weakness; even if we have to build a giant freezer, we'll do it."

There are a few murmurs of agreement from the squadron. It isn't a great cheer of pride, or even a round of applause, but I know I've done enough. I sit back down as we all return to our meals. Conversations slowly begin to form, until we've recovered from the shock of the devastation.

"I'll chase 'em down past Mirfak if I have to!" I hear from Sanford.

From Risnan, "Someone said something about a Galatean pilot joining our squad."

The next voice I hear, however, is the intercom: "Attention. The first Galatea survivors are now arriving in the hangar bay."

A few people in the cafeteria leave to meet the new arrivals, but the eleven of us stay behind and continue to talk. After a while, I notice some people entering the cafeteria, some of them new to the Bastion. I decide to get more food, so I say to Ron, "Be right back," and head for the end of the line with my tray.

I always like to stand sideways in line, so I can take note of the people in front of me and behind. To my surprise, I see a short Vasudan approach me; he appears to be about ninety cm (seven+ ft), which is a little short for a Vasudan. He's wearing a Vasudan flight suit, so I assume he's a pilot.

The exceptionally emotionless, electronic translator voice graces my ears, "**Excuse me. Is this the line for the cafeteria?**"

Part of the electronic translator's design is that it doesn't completely obscure the Vasudan's voice; it only overlays it and is often slightly louder.

"It sure is; you may not like it, but food is food," I say with a grin.

"**What do you mean?**"

I can tell that I am very near to insulting the first Vasudan I've spoken to, "It's usually cold oatmeal and bitter water; military food."

"**That is strange. The Vasudan Navy does not malnourish its pilots.**"

"Oh, it's healthy, but nothing to look forward to. What do you eat in the PVN?"

"**Primarily Antarean Hogrhe, water, and ham. Many of your Terran foods are surprisingly nourishing.**"

"What's a Hoagray?"

"**The Antarean Hogrhe is very much like a combination of your Terran bird and fish; it has the ability to fly and lay fertilized eggs, but it has lustrous scales in order to reflect the harsh rays of their supergiant, Antares sun.**"

"Oh, I see. By the way, my name is Vince."

"**Call me Lorkhena.**"

Although Vasudan names don't have any particular correlation to gender, the tradition of female Roman names ending in "a" makes me realize that I've been talking to a female Vasudan. The females of the species are difficult to differentiate for the average Terran, but as I am aware, the females are typically shorter, have a less prominent brow, and whereas the male's body tapers down as it approaches the hips, the female's does not.

Realizing my mistake, I ask just to be sure, "I know it may be a strange thing to say, but are you a woman?"

"**Yes. I am surprised that you could make such a distinction. The other pilots on the Galatea could not, but I do not hold it against them. Do you know many other Vasudans?**"

I begin to notice other subtle distinctions in her voice as well, "I don't know any, but I have studied a bit of Vasudan culture," by now, we've reached the end of the line and each have a bowl of cold oatmeal, "So, which squadron are you in?"

"**My former squadron was the 102****nd**** Golden Ankhs, but the rest of my squadron was destroyed in the attack on the Galatea,**" I notice the change in her expression and tone of voice, almost hidden behind the translator's, but both soon change to what I perceive as hopeful, "**My new squadron assignment is the 66****th**** Black Knights.**"

"No kidding? That's my squadron! Welcome to the squad, Lorkhena. We're a fairly new squadron, so there are only eleven of us, and none of us have been in service before the start of the Great War, so we don't have any hard feelings toward Vasudans. We already have a table. Follow me."

As I approach the table, my squad mates look up one by one, all except Risnan, who is facing the other way and focused on the meal at hand.

"Hey, guys! This is Lorkhena; she's our new squad mate."

"Welcome!"

"Always room for more!"

"Guess she's stuck with number 12."

Risnan still hasn't turned around, but his ears perk up when Lorkhena begins to speak: "**Thank you, I have rarely met with such kindness from Terrans, and your hospitality is refreshing. But tell me: why am I 'stuck' with the number twelve?**"

"Each of us has a number painted on the side of our ships," this was Risnan. He sounded strange, almost distant and with little emotion in his voice.

"I'm the top ace, so I've got number 1," Tate says proudly.

"Well, I'm only one kill behind you 'cause you stole my last one!" says Sanford.

As they begin to argue again, the rest of the squadron raise their hands one by one, stating their number.

I wait to be the last, "And I'm number 4. Take a seat, Lorkhena."

The conversations pick up again, between mouthfuls, and although she seems hesitant at first, Lorkhena quickly joins in. She has a lot of profound things to say, but she does show a humorous side. Nevertheless, I remain perturbed by Risnan's reaction to her; throughout the entire meal, he doesn't look at Lorkhena once.

Most of us are nearly done, and its about 2000 hours, so we're going to leave for our quarters soon anyway, but Risnan gets up quickly and without warning.

"I'm heading back to my quarters," he says coldly, "Don't stay here too long; we have to be ready for duty tomorrow."

With that, he walks away.

"What's with him?" says Lawrence.

"Maybe he doesn't like our new recruit," says D.

"No," says Ron, "I know what it is. Risnan was really shaken by the loss of the Galatea; we haven't even brought up the tragedy of Vasuda Prime since Lorkhena got here, and it certainly hasn't helped his disposition. I don't think he hates her for it, but he can't be fine seeing someone unaffected by all this."

"**I have already grieved at the loss of our homeworld,**" says Lorkhena, "**To dwell on grief and remain in despair is destructive to one's self. I believe his temperament is not unrelated to my arrival and my species. Vince, you said no one in this squadron had been in the war during Terran-Vasudan hostilities, before the Shivans' arrival. I fear you forgot about your lieutenant; he has been in the war far too long.**"


	6. Begin the Gauntlet

Author's Note

_I had to rewrite this one, since I discovered that the Rosetta, a Faustus-class science cruiser, is sent to Altair, and it transfers the refugees to two Elysium transports in Altair during the return trip. This probably won't matter, since, if anyone is reading this, it will probably be after I've posted the change anyway…_

_Disclaimer: Volition-inc. owns Descent: Freespace, Admiral Shima, Operation Thresher and several other things. I own Vincent Schaard, Lorkhena Garamande, and Lt. Risnan as well as most of the plot, except where it intertwines with or makes reference to the plot of the game._

_Fun Fact: Most squadron leaders in the GTA refer to their squad mates by their temporary designation during a mission (Alpha 1, Beta 4, etcetera), but the 66__th__ are such a close-knit squadron that they always refer to each other by name. The reason for using temporary designations is to lessen the impact of a comrade lost, as this is typically unavoidable. Also, these designations are only temporary because the Greek alphabet only has twenty-four letters, meaning that by this system, the GTA could only have ninety-six active fighters and bombers._

Chapter Six: 3/4/2335 Begin the Gauntlet

"Welcome pilots. For those of you who are still new to the Bastion, I am Admiral Shima. Some of you may be aware of a recent transmission received by the GTA. The transmission is as follows:"

Shima steps to the side, and the screen behind her shows a primarily blue image and the familiar face of a Vasudan. The transmission begins, and shows itself to be a distress call from a group of Vasudan scientists. They were forced to crash-land on a planet in Altair, and there is some mention of ancient ruins.

"We received this message two days ago, and now have plans to rescue the stranded scientists. We have reason to believe that they have found an ancient civilization that was destroyed by the Shivans," a murmur ripples through the assembled pilots, but Shima continues, "What is more incredible is that the ruins appear to be at least eight thousand years old, which only deepens the mystery of our xenocidal foe.

"We will be sending the Rosetta under the escort of the 66th Black Knights to Altair, and-"

I don't hear the rest as I feel renewed hatred for the Shivans; after their attack on Vasuda Prime, we haven't faced any Shivans and I know the rest of the 66th feels as strongly as I do. I realize that I've missed a potentially important segment of Shima's briefing, so I ask Ron next to me what she said.

"We only get to escort the Rosetta to Altair 4 and two transports through Aldebaran on the return trip; they're having another squadron handle the rest of it. She also had to remind us about the intersystem jump drives for the small ships for some reason. I guess some people weren't here for the last briefing."

"Yeah, Ron," I say, "We weren't here; it was during the night shift and we were asleep."

"Right. I'd forgotten."

"-ill be deployed immediately. We will be arriving in Altair momentarily, so suit up."

I get up with the rest of the 66th and head for our quarters. I expect Risnan to be there, putting on his flight suit, since he already attended the other command briefing, but we find the rooms devoid of people. No one else seems to take much notice, so we all get suited up, and go to the hangar.

We've only flown one mission since Lorkhena joined our squadron, and she proved to be an excellent pilot despite her short service. Like most of us, she was a fairly new recruit, and although she was active during the T-V war, she never saw any action until the Shivans attacked a depot she was patrolling. Her weapon of choice is the Seth fighter. I've said it before and I'll say it again: the Seth is one hell of a ship. It fits right in with our Apollos, and it's a good thing too, since the only other Vasudan ships on the Bastion are the ones that survived the Galatea, and are therefore already taken.

I reach the hangar and, as usual, the rest of the squadron trickles in. Risnan is last, which is also as usual. He's been a little on edge lately, and we all know it has something to do with the Vasudans and his military career before the 66th. But no one can pin it down; did he enjoy fighting the Vasudans? Did he lose someone to a Vasudan attack? The only way to know for sure would be to confront him, but he's been very shut off, and it seems that we'll never know.

"Alright, boys and girls," says Risnan, his back turned to all of us, already heading for his ship, "You all know the drill."

The Bastion had already arrived in Altair, and we could see the science cruiser, Rosetta.

"We're going under the usual designations," this means that Risnan, Ron, myself, and Lorkhena make up Alpha wing (in that order), Tate, Sanford, Tinman, and D are in Beta, and Lawrence, Fred, Al, and George make up Gamma, "Remember that we all cover the Rosetta, but if anything happens, Gamma stays with them, and Alpha and Beta go after the threat."

This was unusual for Risnan; he had only ever referred to Lorkhena by her typical designation during a mission, Alpha 4, but he always called the rest of us by name, and the wing by its leader. Risnan must have been perturbed by the prospect of saving Vasudan scientists. I begin to feel angry, but I distract myself with the mission at hand.

We all take off normally, leave the hangar, and approach the Rosetta.

"Rosetta, this is Alpha one, lt. Risnan of the 66th Black Knights. We are here to escort you to Altair."

"Roger, Alpha one. This is the Rosetta, our crew is ready to make the journey and our supplies are stable," the vessel is carrying some food and water for the Vasudans, in the event that their supplies have run out, "We are beginning the journey to the node. Over."

"I copy that," says Risnan, "Everyone form up. Out."

We form on our squadron leaders and proceed to escort positions around the Rosetta. I target the planet, Altair 4, and a digital image appears in the lower left-hand corner of my HUD, along with its distance. It reads 106984 meters, and I decide to start up a conversation, without which this trip will take a long, long time.

"Hey, Fred, how're you feeling about this one?"

"I have contingency plans for any attacks from fore, aft, north, south, east, west, and everywhere in between. The only thing that'll get past me is the Lucifer itself."

"Don't jinx it, Fred," says Ron, "I hope you have some wood to knock on in there."

After some laughter, we all hear Fred tapping his notepad, the only wood within several million light-years of his ship.

The next voice over the comm. is George's, "Yeah, my plan is the first Shivan I see not getting out of my crosshairs."

Then Lawrence, "You might try knocking out its engines so I can get a good look, for once."

"Hey, that reminds me," George says, "I heard you got another message from Ernst- Dr. Moncreafe, that is."

"Yeah, he says he's been preaching the hive mind theory, that the Shivans share a collective intelligence, like a bee hive. I sent back a reply with my latest observations, and I have to say that I agree with him. The Shivans make strategic decisions far too quickly by other explanation."

D cuts in, "Hey, Lawrence, did you see that footage of that team searching a Shivan transport?"

"Yeah, that brought in a lot of new data for Dr. Moncreafe. He and many of his colleagues agree that the Shivans are a fusion of biology and electronics. Some others argue that they probably just wear flight suits, but the armor in the footage is too closely integrated to be a removable suit. There's also the beam weapon one of the Shivans uses to eliminate a member of the exploration team. It's a shame the team didn't last longer in there, or we could have found out some more."

D again, "Well, that just gives us more of a reason to fight; we'll _force_ 'em to talk!"

"Well," says Lawrence, "That wouldn't be so hard if we knew their comm. encoding. None of our scientists or engineers can seem to decode it. Dr. M is beginning to suspect that the encoding is not the problem, and that instead, the Shivans communicate by an as of yet undiscovered method."

"Well," Al says, "That Dr. M seems to know a lot about the Shivans. I hope he gets somewhere with his research, Lawrence; maybe we can put an end to all this fighting."

"This war had better not be over until I get more kills than Tate!" says Sanford.

"I'm sure you already have," says Tate, "You tend to daydream a lot, right?"

Tate and Sanford begin to argue again, so Tinman starts talking with Lorkhena.

"You know," says Tinman, "I was ready to drop out of flight school after I learned about the Vasudans."

"Yeah," says D, "Only after I suggested it."

"Well," says Lawrence, "I still wanted to fly, but I didn't want to kill Vasudans."

"**I felt the same way,**" says Lorkhena, "**I spent my spare time in the Vasudan Naval Academy reading Terran literature and history. I marvel at the fact that your leaders do not listen to your philosophers. Philosophers are the ones who devote themselves to understanding the world, and a leader without understanding is little more than a blind dictator.**"

"I second that," I say, "I heard that Shima initially planned to have herself demoted when she was first made admiral, but she realized she had reached a position with the power to end the war peacefully. I think we were all relieved at the Shivan invasion and end of the T-V war."

"This way," says Ron, "We can fight without restraint."

Ron begins to rotate his ship, lazily, but Risnan cuts in.

"Knock it off, Hughes."

"So, what was it like, fighting in the fourteen-year war, lieutenant?" asks Lawrence.

"Rosetta, what is your status?" Risnan ignores Lawrence.

"This is the Rosetta. Status normal."

For a long time there is an uneasy silence. Even Tate and Sanford had stopped talking. No one can think of anything to say to pick up the conversation, and we're all surprised when it's Risnan who breaks the silence.

"Lawrence," says Risnan, "You asked what it was like to fight before the Great War. Well, I'll tell you; it was _hell_."

The eerie silence falls upon us again, but this time, it lasts only a few seconds before Risnan continues.

"I was an eager pilot, eager to fight," he says, "much like you, Schaard. I knew Shima fairly well back then; she was my squadron leader on the Bastion before I transferred to the GTD Minnow. She was a genius of a pilot, someone I could look up to, and both of us tried to stay low in the ranks to keep away from a desk job and keep flying. I did it by reporting as few kills as I could, but Shima was so well known that she soon got her promotion to admiral.

"That was after I found myself on the Galatea, though. We'd had a falling out, because of our last mission, and the reason I requested a transfer. We were supposed to take out a Vasudan cargo depot, mostly food supplies for the PVN. The rest of us were occupied with the cargo, some freighters, and enemy fighters, while Shima was supposed to go after an Isis-class transport. This was early in the war, only the second year. The transport was supposed to be carrying Vasudan pilots, but our Intel was wrong. The transport pilot saw Shima approaching and contacted her, begging for their safe departure. The pilot claimed he was transporting civilians, but the rest of us thought he was lying.

"Shima let him go, and the rest of us blew up on her afterwards. I had already made my transfer to the Galatea before I found out that the transport pilot had been telling the truth. But that wasn't the worst of it…

"Some of you may know about Operation Thresher, the Terran operation that so gloriously failed in the Antares system. I was part of that operation, and I can tell you that the fighting you've seen so far is nothing compared with a true battle."

Risnan was right; we'd never been a part of a serious battle. The one time we would have engaged a destroyer, we found it had been attacked by the PVN and destroyed already.

"504 Terran pilots dead, fourteen MIA. That's what they reported. The operation was a failure, but the Vasudan losses were much worse. Although the targets were primarily supplies and transports, they were protected by two Typhon-class destroyers, several cruisers, and even more Vasudan fighter squadrons. I have seen the face of death; screams of dying men, Vasudans and Terrans, civilians and pilots alike.

"I returned to the Bastion after that mission. Perhaps you've noticed that I never sit in on Shima's command briefings. I have one of the other squadron leaders report her briefings to me. I thought I could repent under Shima's leadership, and I may yet, but I can't face her after my military career.

"223 Vasudans dead; 157 pilots, 66 civilians. Those are my kill numbers; enough to make me admiral three times over… Ancient Terran soldiers once died 'for God and Country.' Even then, there was no God, and their 'Country' was a mass of the impoverished ruled over by pretentious aristocrats. They were no less misguided than we are now."


	7. Reprieve

_Disclaimer: Volition-inc. owns Descent: Freespace, Admiral Shima, and several other things. I own Vincent Schaard, Lt. Risnan, Lorkhena, and Ginmar as well as most of the plot, except where it intertwines with or makes reference to the plot of the game._

_Fun Fact: In the future, television is still popular, although there are two main types. Rather than high-definition, HD, and standard definition, SD, there are two-dimensional, 2D, and three-dimensional, 3D. 3D TV is more expensive and requires a different type of television set in the form of a circular ceiling projector, but it projects a three-dimensional image into the room in which it is located, and for 2D shows, it projects a flat image that can be moved around. Naturally there are a lot of shows that can only be seen in 3D but some shows offer both. This same technology is used for long-distance conferences and visual telephone conversations._

Chapter Seven: 3/28/2335 Reprieve

Today, we're all going to be sent back landside, our first break from duty on the Bastion. Three months may seem like a long time on duty, but we're in the middle of a brutal war; we only get three days leave as it is. Some of us are headed back home for our breaks. Lawrence is from Alpha Centauri, Ron from Delta Serpentis, and D and Tinman are from Sirius. Sanford, Tate, Al, and George are from Beta Aquilae. Risnan, Fred, and I are from Sol, and Lorkhena is from Vasuda, but none of us are headed for Earth, as the security checks are tiresome and would take up too much of our precious break; Lorkhena no longer has anywhere to go home to, of course.

Once again, we all find ourselves at our usual table in the cafeteria. We're talking about our oh-so-short vacations.

"Well," says Tate, "It looks like the only safe place left is Beta Aquilae."

"You're wrong there," Sanford cuts in, "Alpha Centauri is still good, and I hear the view from Toliman 2 of the orange and yellow suns passing below the horizon is as brilliant as when an SC Lilith bites the dust."

"Alpha Centauri would be a good choice," says Tate, "but Sirius is quickly becoming a contested system. If we managed to pass through safely, we might not get back. The only other way out, besides Vasuda, is a dead end."

The third node out of Alpha Centauri actually leads to Aldebaran, but from there you could only head to Altair and an unknown system, which is not much better than a dead end.

Now Risnan speaks up, "Either way, the latest report from Command lists our only choices as Sol, Beta Aquilae, and Delta Serpentis," Risnan had returned to his old self after we'd finished our escort of the rescue transports in Altair. He was provoked into conversation by one of the rescued scientists after remaining silent for most of the journey. Risnan seemed to have accepted and put aside his past; he'd even gone so far as to begin calling Lorkhena by her last name, Garamande.

I'm returned to the conversation by an outcry from Ron, "What? We wouldn't get a day on Sol, and no place in Delta Serpentis is even remotely nice!"

"Yeah," ways George, "It's the four stars that do it. Every planet is either too hot or too cold."

"I don't know," says Fred, "I went to Qin 7 once, and it was pretty nice."

"It must have been in the middle of summer," says Ron, "Every other time of the year there is too cold. Yep, double binaries can be pretty tough."

Delta Serpentis is mostly used for combat training and scientific research. Ron knows, better than any of us, that his home system is a very difficult place in which to live. It must be what gave him that strong constitution.

"I guess we're all going to Beta Aquilae, then," I say.

"We'll be able to get some distance from each other," says Tinman, "Alshain 1 through 4 may be nasty, but 5 and 6 are fine."

"I'll still get to visit my grandfather on Alshain 6," says Sanford, "I can't wait to tell him I've downed 42 Shivans already. I can't wait to tell my parents I've downed 42 Shivans already; I can imagine the looks on their ungrateful faces."

"I don't get your parents, Sanford," says Tate, "Your father didn't get any warrior blood from your grandfather? Anyway, mine met as pilots in the GTA. They keep checking in on my progress, so I don't know what I more I can say to them when I get home."

"At least you get to go home," says Fred, "My parents are worried sick about me, and all I can do is send short emails."

"You'll see them again once this war is over," says Tinman, "D and I can't go home either, but we're pretty used to limited contact by now. Our parents are happy enough to get an occasional email."

"**I can never go home,**" says Lorkhena, "**My parents both died in meditation on our homeworld, at the hands of the Lucifer. They are now a part of the history of the universe, and I do not morn their absence,**" I notice that at the phrase "history of the universe" Lorkhena's translator speeds up and she seems to vocalize a single word, a word that can only be translated by such an awkward phrase.

"I have no more family either," says Risnan, "What about you, Vince?"

"Oh," I say, "Well, my father died in an early subspace accident when I was only two years old. My mother continued his research and managed to get me through college and flight school. I'm going to try to get a hold of a Comm booth to talk with her face-to-face while we're landside. Email really doesn't match up to seeing the person you're talking with."

"I agree," says Ron, "Which is why I'm ready to avoid my family and join you all in Beta Aquilae."

This receives some well-earned, and well-needed, laughter. Even Risnan shows a smile.

"GTT Hestia has docked," the intercom buzzes, "All pilots eligible for leave may report to the hangar bay. The Hestia will depart in twenty minutes."

"Guess it's time to take our leave," says Ron.

"Everyone," says Risnan, "Gather any luggage from your quarters and head straight for the hangar. I don't expect to see any of you until the first: April fool's day. Until then, so long."

We all head back to our quarters. Apparently, Risnan is headed for Delta Serpentis for his leave. The rest of us expect to be spread about the planets of Beta Aquilae, but a few of us intend to stay together. We're all close friends, but each a little closer to the other members of our typical wing designations. This is reflected in our groups; Ron, Al, Lorkhena, and I are headed for Alshain 5, Tinman, D, Tate, and Sanford are off to Alshain 8, and George, Fred, and Lawrence are going to Ginmar.

We gather our things and are soon in the hangar bay. The Hestia's destination is a Terran outpost in Beta Aquilae, from which we can each get transports to specific planets. Risnan would have to wait for the GTT Aether, which would come in later today. In the meantime, we all get onboard the Hestia; the Hestia is an Elysium-class transport, and very comfortable to ride in. The Elysium is the same class of transport used to rescue the Vasudan scientists from Altair 4, in fact, it's the GTA's only transport-class, but with a transport like the Elysium, they don't need any other.

The journey is uneventful. We all have some last-minute chitchat with the squad members we won't be seeing for three days, and hardly any time has passed before we begin docking at the outpost. We all say our goodbyes and find our new transports.

"Out of one chair and into another," says Ron, "Least they could do is to show a movie."

"With a military budget?" says Al, sarcastically incredulous, "We're in a war, soldier! Don't make me dock your pay!"

"You've been hoarding my pay for the last three weeks to start your own bank account! Why deprive yourself?"

"**Both of you are out of line,**" says Lorkhena with an evil grin.

"You have our sincerest apologies, Queen Admiral," both Al and Ron bow.

"**Grand Master and Bane of all Shivans, to you, maggots!**"

"_You dare question the power of the Shivans' Bane?_" I say, giving Ron and Al an exaggerated evil eye.

Laughing, we get aboard a nameless transport, designated solely by its destination, Alshain 5. We endure another uneventful flight, hilarious group antics saving us from death by boredom. At the spaceport, we choose our hotel from a list of those available in the surrounding city. As soon as we've arrived, and I've unpacked, I find the telecommunications booth for the room, to make a call home.

I sit down in the chair inside the booth, "State the system location of your call, the call type, and the name of whomever you wish to contact."

In response to the metallic, female voice, I say, "Sol system, type three, Wendie Schaard."

There are three types of calls that you can make from a standard Comm booth, the fourth only available on private booths; type one is audio only, type two adds a real-time feed of the person you're calling displayed on a large, flat screen, and type three displays the person you're calling in a three-dimensional, holographic, image. The image is fairly lifelike, but is monochromatic and often a little blurry.

"Your call is being placed, please hold…"

I only wait a few short seconds before hearing the confirmation sound. I can't imagine what it must have been like in the days of the telephone. Calls took much longer to connect, and over a much shorter distance than the one I'm now making; sometimes, if your call didn't go through, they wouldn't even let you know whether the person was simply asleep or busy, or if the connection wasn't working properly.

A blurry shape begins to form in front of me, blue-green in color. It begins to sharpen as I hear a familiar voice.

"Vince? Can you see me?"

The shape resolves itself into that of my mother, also sitting, on her end of the call. She looks no different than I remember. In fact, she probably won't change much for another forty years; due medicine and biological engineering, the average Terran lifespan is now 93 and youth rarely fades before the age of eighty.

"Hello, Mom," I say, the smile on her face lets me know that she can see me at least as well as I see her, "I'm sorry I haven't sent you any messages in a while."

"I understand. Has it been hard on you? Flying at the drop of a hat, through red, yellow, and green crossfire?"

"It isn't that hectic, really. Lately, our missions have been pretty peaceful. The night shift has been having a hard time in our place; the Lucifer keeps pushing forward and seems to pour out an endless supply of ships. But I haven't heard much about you, Mom."

"Oh, I'm still doing research. They really pushed me and my team to get those subspace drives down to size. Unfortunately, I haven't seen the Wostens in a while. My work has been so demanding, what with the war going on, so I haven't even talked with Caitlyn in a week. Nevertheless, I understand what we're up against, the hopelessness of it all, and I know Terran Command won't approve of this, but I have to tell you, if only to raise your spirits.

"Just yesterday, my team discovered a weakness to that superdestroyer, the Lucifer. When it makes an intersystem jump, its shield goes offline just like ours, so if we could get a ship to track it and follow it…"

"The war will be over."

"Right. I don't have any more specifics, but Command informed me and my team that they have one of their destroyers ready to carry out a mission around this idea. They wouldn't tell me which one, but I can only assume that putting you on leave may be to prepare you for such a mission. Honey, after this, you won't have to risk your life every time you fly out of that hangar."

"No. Even if we take out the Lucifer, there is still a large Shivan force to deal with."

"That isn't what I meant. As we are now, with the Lucifer at large, you risk destruction by _its_ power. Vince, I know you're a great pilot, that even their best fighters are no match for you…

There is a long pause.

Even though she's staring downwards, avoiding my glance, I can see it in her face: she's afraid to lose me. Something that has bothered me ever since I was old enough to fully understand it begins to surface from the depths of my subconscious. I have to ask.

"Mom," I say, "What _really_ happened to Dad?" I say it as a demand, not a question.

"Vince," she says, looking up, "there is no more truth to it than what you already know."

I nod in acknowledgement, and then look down, ashamed at bringing up the subject, "It's just that… you said his body was never recovered. It was bothering me so much. I thought maybe you were lying; that he became a pilot, or something. I don't know…"

"Vince," I look up to see her, a kindly face having replaced the sad one, "Ah! These damn holograms. I keep forgetting you're a million light years away; I think we each need a hug."

We stand up, and even though our heads are cut off by the edge of the camera, we pretend to hug: standing where we would if we were in the same room together. I feel a sharp and sudden pang of homesickness, all the more powerful since I haven't felt it since I left home. I can't help getting choked up and shedding a tear.

There isn't anything else to talk about, so we each say goodbye, and the transmission ends. I wait until my mother's form has faded back into a blue-green blur, and then leave the booth to get a good night's rest.

The bed in my room is so much softer than those on the Bastion that I realize how uncomfortable the Bastion's beds were. I'd never noticed before, what with the excitement of battle and enjoyment of new friends always on my mind. I don't get to sleep any quicker than usual, my mind now occupied with home, my mother, and the father I never had. When I do get to sleep, I'm woken up before I know it. I hear an incoherent sound, and the surprisingly worried face of Ron Hughes forms out of the mish-mash of color before my eyes.

"…up! The Lucifer waits for no man!"


	8. Race to the Hunt

_Disclaimer: Volition-inc. owns Descent: Freespace, Admiral Shima, and several other things. I own Vincent Schaard, Lt. Risnan, and Lorkhena as well as most of the plot, except where it intertwines with or makes reference to the plot of the game._

_Fun Fact: If you haven't guessed already, SI has since taken over as the dominant system of measurement. Velocities are measured in meters per second (m/s). 1 m/s is about equal to 2.2 mph; therefore, the top speed of the GTF Apollo is 60 m/s or 132 mph. Also, the title of this chapter is meant to connect to the Descent: Freespace mission, "The Great Hunt," where you have to race to the Sol node to follow, and subsequently destroy, the Lucifer._

Chapter Eight: 3/29/2335 Race to the Hunt

I'm unsettled in my seat, and the transport seems to move at a snail's pace. Ron explained everything on the way over to the spaceport; the Lucifer had suddenly made a break for Sol, and the Bastion was already on its way to the Sol node in Delta Serpentis, to chase after the superdestroyer. In the early morning, Shima had called all pilots and crew back from leave to assist in the destruction of the Lucifer, and we now find ourselves riding the transport back to the Beta Aquilae outpost.

"Risnan is supposed to be waiting there with our fighters," says Ron, "The Bastion couldn't wait for us, but we should be able to catch up if we set engines to full."

I look over at Al, Ron, and Lorkhena to see rock-hard determination in their eyes, and I know my own must look the same way.

"**We cannot allow the Lucifer to continue on its path of destruction unchallenged,**" says Lorkhena.

"We can finally end this damned war," says Al, "and can take a _real_ break from fighting."

No one can say anything else for the rest of the flight, and we arrive back at the outpost, our reprieve cut short. Some of the squadron is already here, the rest approaching from the opposite end of the outpost. Risnan is standing apart from the rest of us, in front of our ships, and, once we've all arrived, he begins the mission briefing.

"Welcome, boys and girls," says Risnan, "The plan is simple; we catch up to the Bastion, follow the Lucifer into the node, and cover the bombers as they destroy the Lucifer's reactors. Any questions?"

"Yeah!" says Ron, "Are we fueled up?"

"To the brim!" says Risnan, "Strap in, Knights!"

This is the first time he has ever referred to us by our squadron name, and it fits the severity of the mission. We had time to suit up earlier, so now we can into our ships immediately and lift off in unison, as usual. All of us set engine power to full, and fire our afterburners to jump-start the journey. Lorkhena's Seth fighter would not normally be able to keep up, except that a few Vasudan engineers on board the Bastion had modified the engines some weeks earlier. Those same engineers had also installed the new intersystem subspace drives, allowing us to follow the Bastion without the aid of a larger ship, which would normally have to carry us through the subspace node.

Once again, silence prevails. Every second passes like a turtle climbing a mountain. The only indication that any of us is moving is the approaching node on my HUD. Subspace nodes are not normally visible, but all GTA and PVN ships have their locations programmed into their onboard computers, allowing them to display a wire-frame image of the node in a ship's heads up display.

Against the black vastness of the cosmos, stars too numerous to count hang in place, further exaggerating the sense of stillness. All I hear over the comm. is the occasional radio buzz or muffled directions being given by the outpost to a transport on the other side of the system. I begin to realize the horror of the situation; the Lucifer is headed for Earth. We race to halt the imminent destruction of humanity's foundations, the center of all Terran life. I imagine failure: my mother witnessing the arrival of the ship from Hell, all hope lost, realizing that I must have died in its path. The Bastion arrives too late, only to be annihilated by the Lucifer, several thousand more Terran lives, and now Vasudan lives, vaporized in an instant. Without the Bastion, neither the GTA nor the PVN are able to maintain their strength, and are ultimately destroyed by the Shivans.

"We're here!" I nearly jump out of my seat at this sudden outburst from Fred.

"Everyone," says Risnan, "Jump out…now!"

We all make the jump into subspace simultaneously. The usual, eerie ambience of subspace reaches my ears, and only a few minutes pass before we've arrived in Delta Serpentis.

"_BANK LEFT, NOW!_" I nearly jump out of my _skin_ this time. I grapple with the controls as we barely avoid the swarm of Shivans screaming towards us. The Bastion is off in the distance, a tiny, blue dot, and we try to catch up to her, but the Shivan fighters turn around to attack us.

"Everyone take a fighter!" Risnan shouts through the comm. channel.

As we begin to break off of the group, I see that the fighters we've been engaged by are fourteen Dragons. Risnan swears to himself, having realized this as well, but he goes after them, guns blazing. The Dragon is one of the most recently discovered Shivan ships, and the most outrageous to date. In addition to having a very small profile, the Dragon can make tighter turns than any other ship ever built, and it's fast to boot.

I have some trouble gunning mine down, but we all get rid of the fighters, Risnan taking on two at once. Now we turn back toward the Bastion and the Sol jump node. As we get closer, I notice one sole Hercules fighter running a gauntlet through Shivan and HOL ships. As this fearless pilot approaches the node, a Typhon-class destroyer, the Prophecy, jumps in to block him. The fighter is able to get around the Prophecy, somehow, and makes the jump to subspace. We finally reach the Bastion to hear a transmission from Shima.

"Welcome back, Black Knights. I assume you have been briefed on the situation; we've managed to get two wings of bombers and a few escort wings in there with them, but it looks like you've arrived too late to take on the Lucifer. We're sending out a wing of Medusa bombers. Cover them as they attack the Prophecy."

"You heard her, boys and girls," says Risnan, "Regular wings; Gamma take out turrets, Beta cover the bombers, Alpha come with me!"

We all split up, the Lucifer temporarily forgotten in the heat of battle.

"Here's the game plan," he says, "We've all got Hornet swarm missiles onboard, so we can keep the Prophecy from launching any more ships: we're going to take out the hangar exits."

"Sir," I say, "Have you done this before?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact," says Risnan, "But back then, we had little more than Fury missiles and a Fenris cruiser backing us up. Garamande and Schaard, sit outside the starboard exit, Hughes and I will take port. Blast any fighters trying to make an entrance; we're clogging the bays."

We split and, turning up shield power to max, try to avoid the heavy turret fire. Even with the reduced speed that comes with routing engine power to shields, we manage to evade the turrets. We watch our squad mates going after the HOL ships that have already been deployed, and Lorkhena and I have hardly reached the starboard-side exit before three Horus interceptors make their way along the short corridor. We let the hornets fly, and in surprise, the fighters try to dodge, but only run into each other, most of the damage coming from their collisions. There is already a sizable pile of rubble blocking the exit.

"**How is your situation, Ron?**" asks Lorkhena.

"Yeehah!" Ron responds, "They were sending a wing of Osiris bombers! We're already half-way done!"

"Lucky bastard," I say with a grin.

I see Lawrence take out a few turrets on our side of the ship, and behind him, the Bastion is in firing range. It's turrets open fire on the top of the Anvil; I imagine the Anvil's commander is frustrated with his current position. Typhon-class destroyers are relatively flat, and the Prophecy had jumped in with its top edge facing the Bastion. This was a good way to hinder entrance to the node, but bad for engaging an enemy destroyer. The Orion-class destroyer, on the other hand, is shaped much like a skyscraper on its side, so the Bastion's position, facing the Prophecy, leaves it with its lowest possible profile.

A wing of four Amun-class bombers, smaller than the Osiris, begin to make their way through the slightly smaller exit, so we fire again, and the rubble pile gets a two hundred and fifty percent size increase. It isn't long before the bombers' intended escort wing arrives, so we fire for a third time and the fighter bay is totally closed.

"**The starboard fighter bay is closed off,**" Lorkhena reports, "**What is your status, Lieutenant?**"

Risnan answers, "We're done over here. This went off better than last time."

"What?" I'm slightly alarmed, "How did it go the first time?"

"My whole wing was wiped out, and we had to abort," says Risnan, "It's just like I said: we only had Fury missiles at hand and a Fenris for cover. Anyway, let's go clean up the rest of those enemy ships, the turrets are all stumps; this ship is a goner."

Shortly after, the Prophecy begins to malfunction, its hull integrity down to zero percent. We all fire our burners to get clear of the impending explosion, and are not disappointed.

"It's beautiful," says Tate, "like a thousand Nephilim bombers going up in flame."

"Definitely something to write granddad about," says Sanford.

"Great job, pilots!" says Shima, "I only pray our bombers made their mark."

We approach the Sol jump node alongside the Bastion, the tension mounting to a height even greater than when we began the chase. I can feel my heart pounding against my chest, like an enraged prisoner trying to break free of his cage. A cold sweat forms on my forehead, and time slows to a crawl; I imagine I can even see the air particles in front of my face lazily floating by. After an eternity of suspense, we pass the node threshold, and simultaneously activate our intersystem jump drives.

Silence…

…

"Admiral Shima," Al's voice shatters the silence like a cannon ball through a pane of glass, "what is the Bastion's status?"

"All systems appear normal," says Shima, "We are unable to enter the node, pilots. We will try to contact Outpost Europa in Sol."

There is another, shorter, moment of silence. Then, we hear the Admiral's voice again, as she broadcasts on all frequencies.

"This is Admiral Shima, commander of the GTD Bastion. Are you receiving me, Europa?"

More silence, but there is no response from the outpost, "What's going on, Admiral?" Lawrence speaks up, "What does this mean?"

"Pilots," Shima replies, "Europa is not responding; this would suggest that it has been destroyed by the Lucifer, that our mission has failed. However, none of our ships are able to make use of the Sol jump node. Therefore, there is only one thing of which we can be certain: the Sol-Delta Serpentis subspace node…

…has collapsed."

Even in the moments before she said it, we knew there could be no other explanation. Intersystem communications require the use of an intersystem subspace connection; at least one communications outpost is stationed in every Terran-controlled system, and each is used to relay communications through the subspace node corresponding with the location of the intended recipient. If we can neither make the jump to Sol, nor contact anyone in the system, the node must be inactive.

Jump nodes occur naturally, and also collapse naturally. One system, Talania, was totally cut off from the rest of the galaxy when the only two nodes out of it collapsed during the T-V war. Those two nodes, however, were somewhat unstable, and liable to collapse at any time, while the Sol-Delta Serpentis node was known to be incredibly stable, and likely to remain so for thousands of years.

The gravity of the situation is all the worse, considering that the Sol system has only one jump node: the one to Delta Serpentis.

"Return to the Bastion, pilots," says Shima, a sense of defeat strong in her voice, "I will contact Command to inform them of this occurrence, and request that the node be examined."

We enter the hangar bay, land, shut down our ships, and head back to our quarters in silence. I realize that, at the very least, if the Lucifer has not been destroyed, it is now trapped, unable to continue its rampage.

But at such a cost…


	9. Commence Operation Templar

_Disclaimer: Volition-inc. owns Descent: Freespace, Admiral Shima, the PVD Hope, Operation Templar, and several other things. I own Vincent Schaard, Lt. Risnan, Lorkhena, and Admiral Deais (pronounced "DAY-yis") as well as most of the plot, except where it intertwines with or makes reference to the plot of the game._

_Fun Fact 2: Operation Templar was originally part of the multiplayer campaign in Freespace 2, and is actually carried out some years later than this chapter, which is why the Operation begins here "in secret." This way, the story can be as close to canon as possible. Speaking of canon, this is the first chapter after the end of canon dates; the destruction of the SD Lucifer marks the end of the Descent: Freespace campaign, and after the end of the campaign, all dates are given only by year. Therefore, all major events from this point on are only as accurate as the year; I made up all the days and months._

Chapter Nine: 3/30/2335 Commence Operation Templar

A message is relayed over the intercom, "All active pilots, report for Command Briefing."

Risnan remains seated at his desk, as the rest of us head out into the corridor. Risnan said he could never face Shima again, so he's never reported to a single Command Briefing. Some of us wonder what Shima really thinks of him, if she has, perhaps, forgotten he's on the ship, leading her newest fighter squadron.

I don't dwell on this for long, however, as my mind is focused on yesterday's events: the collapse of the only jump node to Sol. It's been on everyone's mind, and we all had trouble getting to sleep last night. After the calamity at the defense of Vasuda Prime, we expect the worst. Shima already is standing in front of the blackened screen in the briefing hall, waiting for us, and no one makes a sound as they sit down. Everyone has arrived, eagerly waiting for Shima to start, although I can see she is still making a visual head count. She finishes and begins the briefing.

"Welcome pilots," she greets us in the usual way, nothing betrayed in her voice, "I know many of you are anxious, nervous, even afraid after these latest events. Terran Command received this message at Delta Serpentis Communications Outpost 337 yesterday at 1817 hours."

She stands to the side of the screen, as the image of a pilot fades in through static; all GTA and PVN vessels have a camera in the cockpit to allow visual identification of pilots in connection with communications, actions carried out in battle, etcetera. The pilot's voice fades in next, along with the familiar ambience of subspace.

"-ome in Command. This is Alpha 3, in pursuit of the SD Lucifer, en route to the Sol system. The Lucifer is down, I repeat, the Lucifer is down!"

A cheer bursts from the crowd, myself part of it, but we are soon stifled as the message continues.

"The reactors have been destroyed, but the Lucifer is still trying to make it into Sol…it's reached the jump point. We're all jumping out of subspace," the subspace ambience fades, and we know they've reached Sol, "The Lucifer is emerging into the system, but I don't think it'll make it; there are several small explosions and electrical arcs occurring across its hull…the portal is closing! It's cut the Lucifer in half! All ships, hit your burners! This is gonna be bi!!?!?!?!?!?!!??!?!!?!!!???!?"

"After this point, the transmission cuts out," says Shima, returning to center stage, "However, we now can confirm that the Lucifer has been destroyed. In addition to this transmission, there have been reports of severe disorganization and the emergence of defensive tactics among all Shivan forces immediately following the event, which must be a result of the loss of their flagship. As of now, the war against the Shivans is over.

"This brings me to the more grave matter at hand. Because of the unusual circumstances in which the Lucifer was destroyed, the Sol jump node has collapsed. Both Terran and Vasudan scientists and engineers have examined the node and carried out computer simulations; they have concluded that the massive shockwave caused by the Lucifer's explosion during its exit from subspace was enough to destabilize the node to the point of collapse. We have paid for the end of the war with the bridge to our homeworld, and we of the Bastion have lost several excellent squadrons. We may find a way back home one day, but until we do, we have more pressing matters to deal with.

"The Shivans are slowly being mopped up and pushed back through the systems they previously held, but the Hammer of Light still maintains its sense of organization and continues to present a threat to the GTA and PVN. In fact, their efforts have doubled since the Lucifer's destruction. Terran Command has formulated Operation Templar; a tactical strike on HOL vessels intended to cripple the organization. Because every other Terran destroyer has either been eliminated or severely damaged in the war, we of the Bastion have been assigned to carry out this operation. However, we will not be alone; the Vasudan Navy is in a similar position, but they are willing to send one of their three active destroyers, the PVD Hope, to join us.

"Our first mission will be to pursue several HOL vessels of great symbolic and tactical importance; these vessels are the PVC Lance, PVC Pike, and the PVD Hammer. Reports indicate that they are currently here, in Delta Serpentis, stationed near the jump node to Ross 128. As you know, Ross 128 was the sight of the first Shivan attack on Terran forces, and even now it is swarming with Shivans. We believe that, because of this, the HOL vessels will not flee to the jump node; nevertheless, the Bastion and Hope will be jumping in approximately four thousand meters from the Hammer, to engage it.

"We will engage the Hammer, deploying the 13th to disable it and destroy it, the 1st to cover the bombers of the 13th, and the 66th to go after the Hammer's escort. The Hope will deploy one bomber squadron and three squadrons of fighters to disable and destroy the cruisers. Finally, this Operation will remain covert; you are not to speak of it to anyone who is not stationed on either the Bastion or Hope.

"See your squadron leaders for your mission briefings; we ship out at 0900. That is all."

It's 0831 now, so I join the rest of the Black Knights in sprinting back to our quarters to get the briefing from Risnan.

"I knew it," says Lawrence, "There couldn't be any other explanation; if you can't use a jump node, it's not working."

"Yeah," says Sanford, "But I still wish I could've seen the death of the Lucifer; that must have been magnificent, like a hundred Typhons frying all at once."

"Oh yeah," says Tate.

"I'm glad we're getting back into the fray so soon," says Ron, "If we'd been chasing the Lucifer, we'd be stranded right now, with no Shivans to kill."

"I guess it's back to work, then," I say.

We reach our quarters where Risnan is still at his desk, writing something. He smoothly hides it in his desk, and stands to address us.

"Well, boys and girls," he says, "There isn't much I can tell you that you haven't already heard from the admiral. So, all I'll say is this: suit up!"

As usual, we make for the hangar bay, once we've donned our flight suits, and see Risnan waiting there for us. We've all arrived, so he signals us to get into our ships. We power up, but wait for the Bastion to make the subspace jump before we lift off. We hear the intercom make its announcement.

"All pilots and crew, prepare for subspace jump."

Only moments later, the Bastion accelerates, forms a subspace portal, and enters it. We emerge some distance from two Aten cruisers and one Typhon destroyer, the Hammer. About two thousand meters fore-west, the Hope arrives, but something is wrong.

"Lift off on my mark," says Risnan, "Mark!"

We lift off, and a Vasudan voice comes in on our comm. channel: "**Bastion, this is the PVD Hope. We have arrived in system, but it appears that the Hammer of Light has already begun a retreat to Ross 128.**"

Somehow, they knew we were coming. The Lance, Pike, and Hammer are all facing the jump node to Ross 128, and may make their escape before we can catch up to them.

"Affirmative," Shima's voice comes in over the comm, "Hope, reprioritize your bombers to disable the cruisers; we must cripple their vessels if we are to succeed in this mission."

"You heard her, boys and girls," says Risnan, "Hit your burners so we can fry those crazy bastards!"

We rush after the fleeing ships, but I think we all know we can't catch them. They're too close to the node, and I only just get within firing range of the Hammer before it jumps to Ross 128. The cruisers are still two thousand meters from the node, but their escort wings, in addition to those of the Hammer, manage to keep our full attention. There are too many to handle, and every Stiletto bomb fired at the cruisers is shot down before it can make its mark. The Stiletto is a bomb designed to take out subsystems, like engines, but like any bomb, it can be targeted and destroyed in mid-flight.

I'm wearing down a Horus interceptor as I see one of the cruisers, the Pike, making the jump to Ross 128.

I hear Sanford's voice, "Damn it! They're getting away!"

"Forget about the cruisers," now it's Risnan, "The rest of the fighters are going after the Bastion and the Hope."

The Horus fries and I turn to see two Seths destroy a turret on the Hope.

"All bombers, withdraw," Shima's command goes out to both the Terran and Vasudan bomber wings, "All fighter wings, you are reassigned to protect the Bastion and the Hope."

"You heard her, boys and girls," Risnan says this as the Lance jumps out, "This is a free-for-all: take out any HOL ship you see."

We split up, our temporary designations forgotten, obsolete. I find a Thoth with its sights on the Bastion's forward heavy turret, and take it down with a swarm of Hornets. Next is a wing of bombers from the Hammer; I take the three Osirises in a few quick passes to avoid their turret fire. They go down without too much trouble, but now a few Anubis fighters have taken an interest in me.

They won't last long, the Anubis being more obsolete than the Angel Scout Fighter; the Hammer of Light must be desperate to still make use of them. I swing around to blast one with gunfire and some more hornets, and fire my burners to get out of the others' sights. The Anubis doesn't have afterburners or strong shields, so I easily outclass them and don't bother wasting any more ordnance to take out the rest of the wing.

"We could use some cover over here!" one of the withdrawing bomber wings is under attack.

"D, Tinman!" I call over the comm, "Form on me, we have to cover the bombers' retreat."

"Gotcha, Vince!" I hear D's reply shortly after watching him take out a bomb headed for the Hope.

"I'm with you," Tinman surprises me, pulling up alongside my ship barely a second after D. The three of us together make short work of a wing of Thoths firing on some Ursa and Amun bombers. The Amuns are Galatea survivors, and the six bombers are part of a mixed squad; they must have been assigned to take out the Hammer, as the PVB Amun and the GTB Ursa are each the heaviest of our bombers. They won't get the satisfaction of a job well done today, but we have to ensure they survive for tomorrow.

The rest of the battle does not take very long, but it stalls us long enough for the escapees to put some serious distance between us. There are a few losses on our side, whereas all the HOL ships are destroyed. None of the HOL fighters or bombers have intersystem jump drives, although I'm certain they all would have remained to defend the Hammer even if they could have followed it instead; none of them made intrasystem jumps either.

"**All ships return to your docking bays,**" I hear the Hope's commander, Admiral Deais, "**We will pursue the Lance, Pike, and Hammer in Ross 128. Despite the danger, this opportunity cannot be allowed to escape us.**"

There are one or two grumbles but no real opposition, so I return to the Bastion with my squadron. We don't head for the cafeteria as usual, instead we gather in our "common room," which is more akin to a small war room. The gray, metallic walls and heavy chairs make it a room we don't often use, although the computer touch-screen on the table is useful for mission briefings.

We change into more comfortable clothes and sit down, Risnan among us.

"Our first failed mission," says Fred.

"It's not our first," says Lawrence, "We lost some cargo during that escort in Regulus."

"Yeah, but we got the job done. The escorts made it through."

"Hey," says Risnan, "We haven't failed yet. This mission was a long-shot anyway; we anticipated that the ships could make an escape. The Bastion and Hope are fully-fueled and ready to go through _four_ systems to catch up with those HOL maniacs."

"Then that's why Admiral Deais made her decision so quickly," says George.

"Right," says Risnan, in his usual, laid-back tone, "So buck up, and get some rest. The afternoon shift is due to engage the Hammer in Ross 128, but if we have to chase them any farther, we'll get called in again."

Risnan leaves, complaining about an empty stomach and how tiring his job has been lately. I decide to continue the conversation.

"That was a pretty good battle," I say, "but I think those HOL guys are slacking."

"They must be getting desperate for new recruits," says D, "Cutting training short, using any ship they can get their hands on; they're still using Anubis fighters!"

"I know!" says Al, "How ridiculous is that? It's like sending a robin up against a hawk."

Everyone else joins in, except for Lorkhena. Something is bothering me about the mission, and I have to bring it up.

I wait for a break before I say, "Lorkhena, what do you think of them: the Hammer of Light?"

"**They have forsaken their people,**" she says, "**And even their lives, all in the face of terror. They are no longer Vasudans, and I pity them as much as I pity the Shivans.**"

"What do you mean?" says Ron.

"**Vasudans that have joined the Hammer of Light do so because they have given up all hope of defeating the Shivans. In doing so, they abandon their Vasudan brethren and throw their own lives away. As regards the Shivans, many believe they are a fusion of technology, electronics and armor, and living creatures. This would suggest they were created, that they were created for destruction. This is a species with no other purpose than to destroy all other sentient life; they know nothing else, and although I pity them, I do not hesitate when a ship, HOL or Shivan, enters my sights. Ours is a battle for survival, a battle we will not lose.**"


	10. Bigger Fish to Fry

_Disclaimer: Volition-inc. owns Descent: Freespace, Admiral Shima, and several other things. I own Vincent Schaard, Lt. Risnan, and Lorkhena as well as most of the plot, except where it intertwines with or makes reference to the plot of the game._

_Fun Fact: Although all intersystem communications are accompanied by a visual of the speaker, most pilots disregard the video feed, their focus on the task at hand. This explains why Vince usually says that he "hears" someone say something while in combat, rather than simply saying who it is. There are some cases in which a communicae is audio only, usually the result of a weakened communications subsystem._

Chapter Ten: 4/1/2335 Bigger Fish to Fry

"Wake up boys and girls, we're back on duty!"

Our shift begins with the same news we've had for the last two days; the Hammer and its two cruisers have survived our pursuit through Ross 128, Laramis, and Luyten 726-8 A. Despite a string of relentless assaults on our part, the Hammer has only lost two turrets, the Lance took some engine damage, and on the 31st Tate managed to take out the Pike's navigation subsystem. We've taken a few hits too; the Bastion lost a radar dish and some turrets, while the Hope has a damaged weapons subsystem. Casualties are nearly even on both sides.

In spite of all this action and frustration, I cannot take my mind off of my lost home. We've all lost our homes, Terrans and Vasudans, and it makes me wonder if the Shivans ever had a home. They must have come from somewhere; could they be a weapons experiment gone wrong? The result of a much-too-curious civilization, older even than the Ancients? Wandering nomad-warriors, searching for a way home? Who are they?

I have no time to dwell on this, however, as we all suit up for the next round of this interminable battle. We begin to talk as we head out into the hallway.

"We're going to have to turn back soon," says Lawrence, "Our ships don't have the fuel to cross another system."

"Yeah," says George, "but those HOL ships can't go on forever either. The fuel in those cruisers must be nearly dried up by now."

"Well," says Ron, "You remember the last command brief: we turn back ten clicks from the Luyten node. There's no point in going much farther, and there are no HOL bases in any of these systems, so they'll have to go back the way we all came."

"Right," says Sanford, "And we can just go back to Luyten and wait to pounce on the bastards!"

"Those HOL morons!" says Tate, "They threw their lives away when they ran off to Ross 128. Only a bunch of fools would head for Dubhe, one hell of a dead end, but I guess they didn't know I was on their tails!"

"Yeah," says Sanford, "If they did, they would have turned their guns on all of us right away!"

"What!" Tate retorts.

As Tate and Sanford commence one of their bragging competitions, I notice that Lorkhena has a far-off look in her eyes.

However, it's D who says, "What's up, Lorkhena?"

"**I was contemplating Tate's remark,**" says Lorkhena, "**That the Hammer of Light would knowingly retreat to a dead-end system. There may be something more to all this…**"

"All pilots and crew, prepare for intersystem jump," the intercom buzzes.

We're still in the hallway, so Tinman says, "Time to crouch for our lives."

The journey is brief, and only two or three minutes go by before we hear the intercom again, "Now arriving in Wolf 359."

Wolf 359 is a red dwarf: dim but fairly common in size for a star. The only jump nodes in the system connect it to Luyten 726-8 A, from which we've just arrived, and Alphard, which leads to Dubhe, a very troublesome system to navigate. Dubhe, now that I remember, is the same system the Hammer of Light retreated to from Barnard's Star during one of our earlier missions, when we attacked two of their cruisers and one of their freighters. Considering their latest tactics, I wouldn't be surprised if our current targets ended up in Dubhe as well.

We've arrived in system, and all of us stand up again to continue to the hangar. We reach it to find Risnan waiting for us as usual.

"Right," he says, "The targets aren't far off. We're escorting two bomber wings: Delta and Epsilon. Normal designations. Let's go."

As we get into our ships, Ron says to me, "Risnan's just about as tired of this chase as the rest of us, huh?"

"Yeah, so am I," I say, "I don't really care about catching them all that much. If they're stranded out here, that's good enough for me."

We lift off, the Hammer and the light of the Lance's and Pike's engines off in the distance. They're off to the fore-fore-east so we turn accordingly. The Bastion and Hope follow suit, and we of the 66th form up on Delta and Epsilon wings. The Hope has sent out a similar arrangement of bombers with their escort wings, and they head for the enemy alongside us.

"**This is Admiral Deais,**" I hear from the Hope, "**Delta and Epsilon wings are to attack the Hammer, while Mu and Pi take down the Lance and Pike. We have also deployed Lambda wing to disable and disarm the Hammer. Good luck, pilots.**"

In silence, the result of a lack of faith in our mission, we approach the Hammer of Light ships. Everything seems to move so slowly, much like our approach to the Delta Serpentis jump node during our mission to chase the Lucifer. The only difference now was that time slowed out of boredom rather than fear. My thoughts turn to Lorkhena's words in the hall. But what more could there be? They're just as desperate to escape as they were back in Barnard's Star, and besides that, we're in a very deserted region of the galaxy. The Shivans never even ventured out this far into Terran space.

My thoughts are interrupted by the unexpected arrival of a ship from subspace.

"This is the GTSC Galileo," a science cruiser.

"You're supposed to be orbiting the third moon of Leon," I hear Admiral Shima exclaim, "What are you doing out here?"

"We are evacuating the system," I can tell by his voice that the cruiser's commander is shaken, "Shivan vessels are in pursuit."

The Shivans! Here?

"You are certain, Galileo?" Shima asks tentatively.

"Yes! They aren't far behind…"

"Don't worry, Galileo, we can cover your escape. Pilots, stick to your mission, we will cover the Galileo with the Bastion and Hope. Your reinforcement wings will be reassigned to the Galileo's protection and deployed should the Shivans prove any threat."

"No!" the Galileo again, "You have to evacuate NOW!

"Calm down, we have no reason to fear the Shivans any longer."

"You must escape…to warn Terran Command. They have another Lucifer!"

There is a resounding silence, the kind that makes your stomach turn and your ears swell. The spell is broken by the return of Shima's voice.

"Come again, Galileo?"

"You heard me! They have a second Lucifer, you have to evacuate!"

"**Pilots,**" says Admiral Deais, "**Disregard the Galileo's transmission, you will carry out this operation and destroy the Hammer of Light targets. We will investigate this possibility at a later time.**"

We are somewhat shaken, but continue on course. Except for protests from the Galileo at various intervals, the battle is much the same as the two others before it; everything feels repetitive. The Vasudan ships behave exactly as they always do, and we handle any slight changes in tactics as usual. Time moves slowly once more. Things begin to pick up when we lose one of the bombers, but the battle soon slows down again and it's obvious that the enemy forces are weakening. The fighter wings are replaced at greater intervals, and it isn't long before there are no new wings to relieve the destroyed fighters.

"I think we've finally got them," says Risnan as the Hammer's engines fry, "All that's left is to take out turrets, and let the bombers do their job."

No sooner have his words reached my ears than a massive subspace wormhole forms to the east.

"They're here!" the Galileo's transmission bursts into my headset, startling me to temporarily lose my grip on my ship's controls, "We haven't reached the jump node yet, we're all doomed!"

Then, from the depths of subspace, a massive vessel emerges: the Lucifer. I've never seen it up close before: few have. The two forward prongs tipped with its insanely powerful flux cannons arrive first, followed by the insect-like head and antennae. Like most capital ships, it arrives at a high speed, nearly 400 m/s, much greater than any other vessel ever designed. In addition to that, its size is astounding; this is truly a vessel from the darkest regions of the cosmos.

"**All ships retreat,**" says Admiral Deais, "**We cannot stand against that destroyer. We will have the Hope and Bastion jump to safer positions on the opposite side of the Luyten 726-8 A node. You will receive further orders from there.**"

"You heard the admiral," says Risnan, "Everyone, return to the Bastion."

The Lucifer has now slowed down to a normal pace, and it begins firing on the Hammer. We regretfully approach the Bastion, our mission a success in a way. However, I now fear the Great War is not yet over. The Hammer is destroyed brief moments after our last ship arrives in the Bastion's hangar bay. The Hope confirms the return of its ships and both prepare to jump out.

The Lance and Pike both bite the dust and the Lucifer turns on the Bastion.

"Prepare for subspace jump," the intercom buzzes calmly, as we all wait, still in our cockpits. The Hope makes the jump to subspace, but the Bastion hasn't yet; I begin to sweat furiously. Fortunately, the Lucifer doesn't have time to fire its main guns before we finally jump out. We arrive near the Hope, and, as I clamber out of my cockpit, I hear the intercom again.

"All active pilots report for command brief."

"They have a plan already?" says George. The rest of the squadron gathers with me and we head for the briefing hall.

"There's only one thing we can do," I say, "There's no way we can survive another Shivan assault; we must destroy this second Lucifer."

We jog in silence, eager to reach the hall in time for the news. We enter, and Shima is already standing waiting for us. Behind her, the screen reveals another room that is slightly odd in appearance.

"**That must be the briefing hall onboard the Hope,**" says Lorkhena, "**We're going to have a combined brief.**"

I notice a Vasudan in uniform on the screen: Admiral Deais. We all sit and it isn't long before the rest of the pilots have arrived. The other room fills with pilots as well, and Deais begins the brief.

"**This is truly an alarming development. We don't know what the arrival of another Lucifer means, except that the Shivans are still a threat to us. However, we have confirmed the existence of a connection between the HOL retreat and the Lucifer's appearance in this system; we intercepted a transmission from the PVD Hammer to all its ships and we have been able to ascertain that a Hammer of Light freighter entered Dubhe some time ago, in a desperate retreat from the GTD Intrepid, and it encountered the Lucifer upon its arrival. It informed HOL authorities and they planned to draw our ships into the Lucifer's line of fire. After the destruction of the first Lucifer, they decided that they could use the second to weaken the GTA and PVN to a point at which we would no longer be able to defend against a second Shivan assault.**"

Shima continues, "I personally contacted Galactic Terran Command only moments ago, and they have ordered that we halt the progress of this new foe, officially designated SD Dreadnought, by any means necessary. We deployed a recon team comprised of three Valkyries, after reaching our current position, to assess the situation. They determined that the Dreadnought bears the same shielding system as the first Lucifer, and that it is currently en route to the Luyten 726-8 A jump node. We plan to intercept the Dreadnought during transit. All available pilots will be put on this mission, and both the Bastion and Hope will be present to provide cover.

"The fate of both the Terran and Vasudan civilizations is dependant on the success of this mission, pilots; we will accomplish it."


	11. A Desperate Move

_Author's Note: First: I accidentally posted chapter nine twice, but I fixed that, so go read chapter nine before this one. Second: I make use of a lot of Freespace canon, much of which is based on the Freespace Jump Node Map. This is a map released by Volition inc. along with the first game, Descent: Freespace. I have posted this map, as well as two others, on in order to provide a reference for readers and other fan-writers. The second map has several jump nodes that are utilized in the game but not present on the official map, and are therefore known as "pseudo-canon" nodes; because they are as good as canon, with the exception of two, I will make use of them in this fanfiction. The third map is a further modification including names for the Nebula and Unknown Binary System in Freespace 2, as well as eleven more systems that I have taken from actual stars, and which I will utilize in later chapters herein. Third: my chapters are going to get longer…_

_Disclaimer: Volition-inc. owns Descent: Freespace, Admiral Shima, and several other things. I own Vincent Schaard, Lt. Risnan, and Lorkhena as well as most of the plot, except where it intertwines with or makes reference to the plot of the game._

_Fun Fact: When the Shivans first appeared, it was in outer space, and they bore strange and powerful technology: energy-based shielding, strafing capability, and stealth technology to name a few. The stealth nature of their ships was more of a lack of information on their ships' sensors than intentional sensor deflection, meaning that they could be seen but not targeted. The shields were stolen from Shivan cargo depots and then reverse-engineered. Terran and Vasudan shields proved to be considerably weaker than their Shivan counterparts, but neither seemed to work in subspace. This was one solution to the problem of the SD Lucifer, which was equipped with a shield so powerful as to be completely impervious to all Terran and Vasudan weaponry. Because the Lucifer's shields appeared to function on the same principles as those found on fighters and bombers, the GTA decided the only way to destroy it would be if it could be engaged in subspace._

Chapter Eleven: 4/2/2335 A Desperate Move

Still wearing our flight suits, we gather in the Bastion's hangar for a quick mission brief.

"Well," says Risnan, "here's the plan, then. We have to disable the Dreadnought's engines; the Wolf-Luyten jump node is too short to allow for its destruction. The Dreadnought has two separate engine subsystems, so we'll have to destroy both of them. That brings me to my next topic: our squadron will be responsible for disabling the Dreadnought. Unfortunately, the Apollo fighter is incapable of mounting the most useful weapon for the job, the Stiletto bomb, so we'll be flying Athenas.

"Now, I know you've become attached to your Apollos, and for good reason, but this is one of those missions that requires a change of tactics. I've flown an Athena before, and I can tell you that although it's classified as a bomber, it makes a great fighter; it has low front and side profiles, precise primary hard-points, and it's faster and nearly as maneuverable as the Hercules. There have been a few minor modifications to number 12 to allow you to fly it, Garamande.

"The plan is to launch a diversionary bomber assault with Ursas and Hercules escort; the Hercules is our toughest fighter and will count for a lot since our shields don't function in subspace. Keep this in mind: you rely on your hull integrity alone, just like in the heydays of your training. Your hull won't repair itself, so don't get blown up by your own missiles. Let's go!"

"I hope this is going to work," says Lawrence.

"I'll make it work," says Sanford.

"It's one hell of a crazy stunt they're going with," says Tate, "A million things could go wrong, but it'll be damned exciting."

Our two destroyers, the Bastion and the Hope, cannot engage the Dreadnought, nor can they wait near the node. In order to catch up with it before it completes its jump, both the Bastion and Hope are waiting outside the Dreadnought's sensor range, and they're preparing to make an intrasystem jump to a point just outside of the Luyten 726-8 A node.

It's a very risky maneuver, and if the jump calculations are so much as a thousandth of a percent off, we'll all be liquefied in an instant. We head for our new ships, and although I know they won't replace our Apollos, I feel a sort of contempt for the Athena. All of them are pristine, as if they just came off the assembly line, all except one.

It's scarred, blackened, and battered, and it has the number "3" on it.

"Whose Athena is that?" Al asks.

"It's mine," Risnan takes a few steps forward, "My last squadron was double-duty: The 7th Golden Eagles, guard and light bomber squadron. This is the same Athena I flew in the Toliman Engagement…when Shima was my captain."

"I didn't know you flew in the Toliman Engagement!" says Lawrence, "That was the first deployment of the Athena, and it really surprised a lot of people."

"I spent half of my training in an Athena," says Tate, "I can't wait to lift off; I've been itching to fire off on of the new Synaptic Bombs."

"Shima was the one who brought the Athena such high accolades," says Risnan, "Most pilots can't see past the low hull integrity and small missile banks; a lot of people took it to be a lousy excuse for a bomber when it first came off the assembly lines, but Shima flew it like a pro. We must have used it like a fighter as often as we used the Apollo."

"Attention: the Dreadnought is 160 meters from the Luyten 726-8 A node," the intercom buzzes, "All pilots and crew prepare for intra-system jump."

"Saddle up, boys and girls," says Risnan, "We come back from this one with our shields or on 'em."

As we get into our new ships, Lorkhena asks me, "**What does Risnan's last statement mean?**"

"It's an ancient saying from back on Earth," I reply, "Some soldiers in the medieval era would fight with body-length shields made of wood or iron. If a soldier returned from a battle shield in hand, he was victorious, but if he died in battle, he would be returned, lying on his shield. It's just another way of saying 'do or die.'"

"**There is a saying much like it from my culture. However, it requires a thorough knowledge of our language, as well as the follies of ancient Vasudans: those who lived during the early years of the Vasudan Imperium,**" now we're all strapped in, and I decide to continue the conversation after the mission.

The Bastion makes the jump, and we arrive safely, only a few hundred meters from the node. None of us has ever had to fight in subspace; I don't feel very confident, and I can only imagine what everyone else is thinking.

"One last thing, boys and girls: don't stray too far from the Bastion, Hope, or Dreadnought. Intersystem jump nodes are not safe to explore, and I'm sure you've heard of some of the stuff that happened in early subspace tests."

"Sure have," I say, "A cruiser once tried turning around in transit, and it was broken down into its basic elements. It all came out at the other end: just a fog of carbon and iron particles."

We begin to enter the subspace node. I hear Admiral Shima's voice in my headset: "All ships launch, now!"

As we lift off in formation, I see the Dreadnought looming up ahead of us. Against the subspace vortex, the Dreadnought looks like it isn't moving at all. In fact, time seems to have stopped as well; time has been getting pretty lazy lately. However, this time, the stillness is filled with silent, nameless dread. I can only imagine this is how those pilots must have felt chasing the first Lucifer to Sol…

Al breaks the spell, "Let's get a move on!"

Then Sanford, "Armed and raring to go!"

The rest of us check in, and Risnan says: "Now we wait for the diversionary force to move in; keep your engine speed low, and wait for my signal."

I can see Ron, across from me in our formation and very bored.

I say, "How's that bomber treating you, Ron?""It's pretty nimble; I've only flown one in the simulator, and it doesn't come close to the real thing. I wish I'd had one of these for that strike in Barnard's Star."

Then, Terran Command cuts in, "Both wings of bombers have been deployed and their escorts are in position."

"That's my cue," says Risnan, "and yours; time to get going, boys and girls."

I can see two wings of fighters emerging from the Dreadnought's fighter bays. They don't seem to see us as a threat, and head for the bombers and their escort first. They've taken the bait.

"Split up," Risnan says, "Don't stick to any one ship."

In my moment of distraction, two wings of Basilisk fighters were deployed. Now, they're heading for us. We break apart, and I instinctively understand which fighter to go after; we all do, based on how well we know each others' abilities and fighting styles.

I expect Ron to fire off all his guns into the closest fighter and then blast through the explosion, and he does. I expect Al to launch a missile to distract a fighter and make it reveal a larger profile. I expect Tate to start off with some missiles, MX-50s, which are useful once more in a place where shields don't matter. I expect Sanford to zip past one fighter, stop, and turn around to fire at it from behind.

They all make their moves, and all successfully, despite the unfamiliarity of their bombers. We do have a bit of an edge, of course: Shivan fighters and bombers rely heavily on their shields, so their hulls are typically very weak. The Athena is the weakest bomber in the GTA, but its hull is more than twice as strong as that of a Basilisk fighter. Not only that, but our Athenas are fitted with the Flail gun: a laser weapon that can knock its target around. Although it's more useful against bombers, moving them will mess up target-lock, it has a high rate of fire, and is a weapon type that we have not yet seen the Shivans use.

With most of the fighters already being attended to, I continue on course to the Dreadnought. We don't have much time left, so I look over at Risnan, remembering to check his movements. I expect him to take on two fighters at once by intentionally flying in front of one as he sets the other in his sights, but he doesn't; instead, he's set his engines to full power and is firing his afterburners to reach the Dreadnought in time. I do the same, following close behind.

The Dreadnought is even more massive than I expected, but I try to ignore its size as I target its engines. Risnan has stopped and is starting to fire on engine 1, so I fly past him to go after engine 2. I switch to twin-fire mode and am very glad the Athena can hold so many Stilettos; my first two shots only cut 4% out of the engine subsystem, so I hold down the trigger and keep my eyes open for nearby fighters.

"Schaard, what the hell are you doing?!" Risnan's voice bursts into my headset, "Go after the fighters, I can handle this!"

"There's no time!" I say, "We need to get this done as quickly as possible!"

"I can't take any more," George says, "I've got to take this crate back to the hangar before I get any more holes in it."

"Damn it, Schaard!" says Risnan, "Get back to the squad, they need your \\\\\\\\\\\\\\"

I turn to see a small fire on Risnan's tail: his communications are out. He quickly makes scrap metal out of a Scorpion nearby, probably the one that did the damage. For a second, I thought he was a goner. A little paranoia takes hold of me, and I check my immediate area for any threats. Finding none, I resume my previous vigilance, but now with a mind for Risnan's ship as well as my own.

31%: I'm almost there. I check on the rest of the squadron; George seems to have made it back to the Bastion all right, and the rest are still fighting off Shivans, trying to get closer to the Dreadnought's engines. Risnan is doing fine as well, and then, I see the engine subsystem burst into flames: 0%.

Risnan begins to head in my direction, to help finish off the other engine subsystem, but something is wrong. Risnan's ship isn't moving as fast as it should, and it's turning to the left slightly. I would have put it down to the age of the ship, were it not for black shard of metal protruding from its reactor.

The lights shut off and Risnan's Athena bursts apart.


End file.
